Dictionary.com

figurehead

[ fig-yer-hed ]
/ ˈfɪg yərˌhɛd /
See synonyms for figurehead on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who is head of a group, company, etc., in title but actually has no real authority or responsibility: Most modern kings and queens are figureheads.
Nautical. a carved full-length figure or bust built into the bow of a sailing ship.

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Origin of figurehead

First recorded in 1755–65; figure + head

Words nearby figurehead

figured glass, figure eight, figure eight suture, figure-ground, figure-ground phenomenon, figurehead, figure in, figure of eight, figure-of-eight bandage, figure of merit, figure of speech
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to figurehead

cipher, puppet, nonentity, front, nothing, token, mouthpiece, straw boss

Example sentences from the Web for figurehead

British Dictionary definitions for figurehead

figurehead
/ (ˈfɪɡəˌhɛd) /

noun

a person nominally having a prominent position, but no real authority
a carved bust or full-length figure at the upper end of the stems of some sailing vessels
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