baby doll

American

Also babydoll

noun

a doll, especially one resembling a human baby.
Also called baby doll nightgown,. Also called baby doll pajamas. Often baby dolls. a garment for women or girls consisting of a hip-length top of delicate fabric often decorated with ruffles, ribbons, or lace, with a matching panty, worn for sleeping.
a short dress styled to resemble this.

Usage

What else does baby doll mean? In the literal, a baby doll is just that—a toy baby doll.But it is also a term of endearment for a woman and a style of high-waisted women's dress and nightgown.

Etymology

Origin of baby doll

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then the punchline: "But I'm immortal now, baby doll."

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

I was like, "OK, baby doll tubes? Like that? It could be surface here, but how do we up it?"

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2024

The banquet ends when a baby doll is served on a silver platter of parsley and apples.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

The first “Barbie” teaser trailer has arrived to disrupt our expectations of a movie based on a toy — much like Barbie apparently disrupted the baby doll industry.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2022

Miss Patty Cake would never be Fern’s baby doll the way she’d been as long as anyone could remember.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023