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:
Under this proposal, assets buried inside a 20-layer Russian nesting doll of shell companies would face a 20% tax penalty when distributed, or 1% for every layer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Parton was about six years old when she wrote her first song: Little Tiny Tasseltop, an ode to her favourite doll and its corn-silk hair.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The doll arrives at an uneasy moment for the brand it’s built on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“May this doll remind every child and every collector that dreams have no limits, excellence leaves a lasting imprint, and true greatness never goes out of style.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
She was old and fragile, like a paper doll.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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
Austin received a call from Doll Beauty HQ, a salon in Chester, two weeks before the big day asking if she could produce the finger wave style that Venezuela desired.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 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
But Jake Doll, a 33-year-old tech-industry publicist, has a different type of deal in mind.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
With tactful good grace, Betty set Doll to scrubbing new potatoes, and Polly went outside with a knife.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Pop Mart’s Hong Kong-listed stock has declined nearly 20% so far this year as consumer enthusiasm for its Labubu dolls cools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"She would line up her dolls on the couch and say: 'I am your teacher. I'm in primary school now, so I am a teacher.'"
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
It is measured in T-shirts and ticket sales, tourists and movie promotions, bobblehead dolls and international corporate sponsorships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Since the late 1960s, Saar has transformed washboards, dolls, clocks, family photographs, racist memorabilia and other salvaged materials into emotionally charged assemblages now held in the permanent collections of more than 60 museums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Filled with pricey dolls in fancy costumes, it didn’t look like the headquarters of a spy ring.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
