doll
noun
a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.
doll
1 American
[dol]
/ dɒl /
noun
-
dolls
plural
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a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.
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a small figure representing a nonhuman character, for use as a toy.
cartoon character dolls.
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Slang.
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a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman.
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a girl or woman, especially one who is considered attractive.
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a boy or man who is considered attractive.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).
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Informal. a generous or helpful person.
You're a doll for lending me your car.
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Slang. a barbiturate in pill form.
verb phrase
Doll
2
American
[dol]
/ dɒl /
noun
doll
British
/ dɒl /
noun
-
a small model or dummy of a human being, used as a toy
-
slang a pretty girl or woman of little intelligence: sometimes used as a term of address
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of doll
First recorded in 1550–60; generic use of Doll
Explanation
A doll is a toy that looks like a small person, often a baby. When kids play with dolls, they might dress them up, push them in toy strollers, and have pretend tea parties with them. Some dolls are the size of real babies and are played with in a way that's a kind of practice parenting — like pretending to feed and bathe a doll. Other dolls are much smaller and represent people of varying ages, like a family of dolls that are played with in a doll house, sitting at little tables and sleeping in tiny beds. The word doll is also an old-fashioned, slightly offensive term for a woman, especially one who's young and pretty.
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.
See Examples For:
The 40-inch doll made by Carousel for Reubens’ JCPenney-exclusive line in the late 1980s is one of the rarest Pee-wee Herman collectibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
For many celebrities, getting a Funko Pop! doll modeled after themselves is a sign they’ve made it in Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
To make the doll relevant again, there were life-size Barbie Dream Houses, models sashaying down runways in Barbie clothes at Fashion Week, and, of course, the 2023 “Barbie” movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
A voluntary clean-up group is marking a decade of finding unusual items in Bristol Harbour, ranging from an inflatable doll to a Nintendo Switch.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Daisy said, “She’s as sweet as a doll; I don’t think it would be hard to find a name for her.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
His abstract painting "Doll Boy" -- a reference to his crush on the pop singer Cliff Richard -- caught the eye of the art dealer John Kasmin, who bought it for £40.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Pretti died near Glam Doll Donuts, along another vibrant stretch of diverse, immigrant-owned restaurants known as Eat Street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
“Stocks are priced for near perfection,” said Bob Doll, chief investment officer at Crossmark Global Investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
In The Bear and the Doll , she brought playful charm to a comedic role, proving her range across genres.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
He told himself that he would have to remember the story she had told him about Doll in case she asked him again.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
"It's sort of like Russian nesting dolls because you have grog within grog within grog. You can trace this back several generations of pots," Wallis said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, has spent years trying to transform into a toy and entertainment company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Up until I was 14 or 15, I played with Barbie dolls, often with Maya, who’s now a director, writer and actor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The company overestimated demand, picked the wrong characters and made too many of dolls, said Gerrick Johnson, senior research analyst at Seaport Research Partners, which has a buy rating on Funko.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Who would make him toy man dolls to dance?
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
