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doll

[ dol ]
/ dɒl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR doll ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.
Slang.
  1. a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman.
  2. a girl or woman, especially one who is considered attractive.
  3. a boy or man who is considered attractive.
  4. (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).
Informal. a generous or helpful person: You're a doll for lending me your car.

Verb Phrases

doll up, Informal. to dress in an elegant or ostentatiously stylish manner: She got all dolled up for a trip to the opera.

QUIZZES

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Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
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Origin of doll

First recorded in 1550–60; generic use of Doll

OTHER WORDS FROM doll

doll·ish, doll-like, adjectivedoll·ish·ly, adverbdoll·ish·ness, noun

Words nearby doll

dolichoprosopic, dolichosaurus, dolin, doline, dolium, doll, doll up, doll's eye sign, doll's house, a, dollar, dollar area
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to dolled up

preen, primp, spiff

British Dictionary definitions for dolled up

doll
/ (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

Derived forms of doll

dollish, adjectivedollishly, adverbdollishness, noun

Word Origin for doll

C16: probably from Doll, pet name for Dorothy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dolled up

dolled up

Also, all dolled up. Dressed or fixed up smartly and, often, ostentatiously, usually for a special occasion. For example, There's no need to get all dolled up—it's just a picnic, or They dolled up the classroom for parents' night. This expression alludes to a person or object being as attractive as a pretty doll. It is also put verbally, to doll up, as in I wanted to doll up my apartment before the guests arrived. [Colloquial; c. 1900] Also see gussied up.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.