figurehead

[fig-yer-hed]

See more 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.

Origin of figurehead

First recorded in 1755–65; figure + head

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for figurehead

Contemporary Examples

How will we know if Kim, when he eventually surfaces, is ruler or figurehead?
Kim Jong Un: Erased?
Gordon G. Chang
October 10, 2014
He may be a figurehead, but the president who is elected today is worth keeping an eye on for signs of where Pakistan is going.
Mamnoon Hussain: The New Man in Pakistan
Husain Haqqani
July 30, 2013
Indeed, Medvedev was never really more than a figurehead president, despite the theoretically huge powers attached to the job.
Return of President Putin
Owen Matthews
September 24, 2011
At the surface, the man who has emerged as the rescue attempt's figurehead is Laurence Golborne, the Chilean Minister of Mining.
Behind Chile's Miracle Mine Rescue
Constantino Diaz-Duran
October 9, 2010
He was the figurehead for D.C.'s ambitious school reform program—until he was found shot to death.
The School Murder That Shocked D.C.
Benjamin Sarlin
May 1, 2010

Historical Examples

A carver in the neighborhood engaged to make the figurehead.
Tanglewood Tales
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Got a figurehead for the porch too, and I'll have an anchor for the gate before I'm done.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
This gives an air of unreality, a figurehead and type character.
A History of English Literature
George Saintsbury
Is she merely a figurehead to take orders from the visiting physician?
Dear Enemy
Jean Webster
Some of them had white bands encircling the throat of this figurehead.
The Trail of the Goldseekers
Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for figurehead

figurehead

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

Word Origin and History for figurehead

n.

1765, from figure (n.) + head (n.). Originally the ornament on the bow of a ship; sense of "leader without real authority" is first attested 1883.

figurehead

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}figurehead

Examples from the Web for figurehead

Contemporary Examples

How will we know if Kim, when he eventually surfaces, is ruler or figurehead?

He may be a figurehead, but the president who is elected today is worth keeping an eye on for signs of where Pakistan is going.

Indeed, Medvedev was never really more than a figurehead president, despite the theoretically huge powers attached to the job.

At the surface, the man who has emerged as the rescue attempt's figurehead is Laurence Golborne, the Chilean Minister of Mining.

He was the figurehead for D.C.'s ambitious school reform program—until he was found shot to death.

Historical Examples

A carver in the neighborhood engaged to make the figurehead.

Got a figurehead for the porch too, and I'll have an anchor for the gate before I'm done.

This gives an air of unreality, a figurehead and type character.

Is she merely a figurehead to take orders from the visiting physician?

Some of them had white bands encircling the throat of this figurehead.

figurehead

Word Origin and History for figurehead

n.

Origin of figurehead