model
Americannoun
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models
plural
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a standard or example for imitation or comparison.
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a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
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an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.
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a person or thing that serves as a subject for an artist, sculptor, writer, etc.
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a person whose profession is posing for artists or photographers.
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a person employed to wear clothing or pose with a product for purposes of display and advertising.
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a style or design of a particular product.
His car is last year's model.
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a pattern or mode of structure or formation.
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a typical form or style.
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a simplified representation of a system or phenomenon, as in the sciences or economics, with any hypotheses required to describe the system or explain the phenomenon, often mathematically.
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Zoology. an animal that is mimicked in form or color by another.
adjective
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serving as an example or model.
a model home open to prospective buyers.
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worthy to serve as a model; exemplary.
a model student.
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being a small or miniature version of something.
He enjoyed building model ships.
verb (used with object)
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models,
present (3rd person singular)
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modeled,
past participle, past
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modelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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modeling,
present participle
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modelling
present participle (especially British)
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to form or plan according to a model.
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to give shape or form to; fashion.
- Synonyms:
- design
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to make a miniature model of.
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to fashion in clay, wax, or the like.
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to simulate (a process, concept, or the operation of a system), commonly with the aid of a computer.
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to display to other persons or to prospective customers, especially by wearing.
to model dresses.
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to use or include as an element in a larger construct.
to model new data into the forecast.
verb (used without object)
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models,
present (3rd person singular)
-
modeled,
past participle, past
-
modelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
modeling,
present participle
-
modelling
present participle (especially British)
-
to make models.
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to produce designs in some plastic material.
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to assume a typical or natural appearance, as the parts of a drawing in progress.
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to serve or be employed as a model.
noun
-
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a representation, usually on a smaller scale, of a device, structure, etc
-
( as modifier )
a model train
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-
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a standard to be imitated
she was my model for good scholarship
-
( as modifier )
a model wife
-
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a representative form, style, or pattern
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a person who poses for a sculptor, painter, or photographer
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a person who wears clothes to display them to prospective buyers; mannequin
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a preparatory sculpture in clay, wax, etc, from which the finished work is copied
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a design or style, esp one of a series of designs of a particular product
last year's model
-
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an original unique article of clothing
-
( as modifier )
a model coat
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a simplified representation or description of a system or complex entity, esp one designed to facilitate calculations and predictions
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logic
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an interpretation of a formal system under which the theorems derivable in that system are mapped onto truths
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a theory in which a given sentence is true
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verb
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to make a model of (something or someone)
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to form in clay, wax, etc; mould
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to display (clothing and accessories) as a mannequin
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to plan or create according to a model or models
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to arrange studio lighting so that highlights and shadows emphasize the desired features of a human form or an inanimate object
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A systematic description of an object or phenomenon that shares important characteristics with the object or phenomenon. Scientific models can be material, visual, mathematical, or computational and are often used in the construction of scientific theories.
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See also hypothesis theory
Synonym Usage
See ideal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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modelernoun
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modellernoun
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premodelverb (used without object)
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unmodeledadjective
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unmodelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modelsimple
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modelssimple
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have modeledperfect
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have modelledperfect
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has modeledperfect
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has modelledperfect
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am modelingprogressive
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am modellingprogressive
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are modelingprogressive
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are modellingprogressive
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is modelingprogressive
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is modellingprogressive
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have been modelingperfect progressive
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have been modellingperfect progressive
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has been modelingperfect progressive
-
has been modellingperfect progressive
Past
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modeledsimple
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modelledsimple
-
had modeledperfect
-
had modelledperfect
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was modelingprogressive
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was modellingprogressive
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were modelingprogressive
-
were modellingprogressive
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had been modelingperfect progressive
-
had been modellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of model
First recorded 1565–75; earlier modell, from Middle French modelle, from Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin modellus (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin mod(ulus), a unit of measurement ( see module) + -ellus -elle
Explanation
To model something is to show it off. To make a model of your favorite car is to create a miniature version of it. To be a model is to be so gorgeous that you’re photographed for a living. The word model, which can be a noun, verb, or adjective, comes from the Latin word modulus, meaning “measure,” or “standard.” If you are a model student, you do everything as the school and teachers wish: you are the standard. If you model your life on your hero's, you try to do what he or she does. If you are a clothing designer you will need to hire a model to model your creations.
Vocabulary lists containing model
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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The Scientific Method
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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:
Tencent has reported promising progress on the AI front in recent months, including the release of its Hy3 model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Hackers used a "hybrid model" that combined AI agents, such as the open-source AI agent platform OpenClaw, to assist in the attacks, the ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
His wife, model Karlie Kloss, has a stake in the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
A litany of Hollywood A-list stars, such as actors Hugh Grant and Jason Sudeikis, singer Benson Boone and model Gigi Hadid were in attendance.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Half-heartedly, I try holding a few other items that belonged to Dad as a kid: a baseball glove, a model airplane, a postcard from my mom.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
It is not clear when Amazon began collecting Twitch users' data to train its AI models.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In mid-July, Hassabis published an essay on X arguing that the U.S. should create an industry-funded “Standards Body” to help assess the safety of AI models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The telecom company is staking its future on open models, both to control token cost and protect its proprietary data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Artificial Analysis, one of several groups that compares and ranks AI models, said Grok 4.6 scored five points higher on its “Intelligence Index” than Grok 4.5.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The workroom was in a tizzy as Miss Lacey, the models, and the seamstresses rushed about.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
If a child sees education modeled as important, that kid is more likely to go to college.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
SpaceX booked second-quarter capital expenditures of more than $18 billion, or nearly 40% higher than analysts had modeled.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Earlier research modeled what would happen to deer-vehicle collisions if mountain lions recolonized the eastern United States, where they once roamed before hunting and habitat destruction left them largely confined to the West.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
“He was brilliant but mischievous,” Hoffs says of the late trailblazer, on whom she modeled the character of Jonesy from her novel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“This particular Butterfly was modeled after a real one caught by our commander in chief about eighteen years ago. He was one of the first members of Mayhem we ever caught.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
She is a commentator for outlets within conservative French billionaire Vincent Bollore's media stable, including the CNews television channel, which is seen as modelled on America's Fox News.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The 15-second AI-generated clip was posted on Instagram by a popular blogger with the online name Katya Jin, and the couple appear to be modelled on her and her husband.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Again, this will be modelled on previous terrorism legislation that focused on preparing "terrorist acts".
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
McArthur counters that the Scottish bill does not follow those "permissive and expansive models" but is instead modelled on stable, tightly-drawn laws in Australia and the US state of Oregon.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
“The optimum population,” said Mustapha Mond, “is modelled on the iceberg—eight-ninths below the water line, one-ninth above.”
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Current AI systems generate outputs by modeling patterns and context.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In other words, an increasing rate of warming is consistent with the range of behavior represented in current climate modeling.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling roughly 42% growth for the September quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
A woman identified as “Etta” told the BBC she was 14 when Leto approached her outside of a modeling agency and invited her to an Oscars party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“She’s got a photo shoot next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I supposed to tell her stylist?”
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Using modelling simulations, they determined the most likely scenario was that the object is powered by a central black hole surrounded by a cocoon of gas that makes it resemble a star.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The dataset combines observations from satellites operated by multiple countries, weather stations on land, at sea and in the air, together with climate modelling.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Then, the wind tunnel was not ready to receive any modelling until mid-April, so now they were nearly four months behind the others.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
After a while, Epstein told her modelling was not working out for her and that the industry was dead.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I remember a time when I could only have been five or six, sitting at a low table beside Amanda C., our hands clammy with modelling clay.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
