figurehead

American  

[fig-yer-hed] / ˈfɪg yərˌhɛd /

noun

1. a person who is head heads of a group, company, etc., in title but actually has no real authority or responsibility.

   Most modern kings and queens are figureheads.

2. Nautical. a carved full-length figure or bust built into the bow of a sailing ship.

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figurehead British  

/ ˈfɪɡəˌhɛd /

noun

1. a person nominally having a prominent position, but no real authority

2. a carved bust or full-length figure at the upper end of the stems of some sailing vessels

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Etymology

Origin of figurehead

First recorded in 1755–65; figure + head

Explanation

A figurehead is someone who appears to be in charge, but who really holds very little influence. In many countries today, kings and queens are merely figureheads. A ceremonial president or king — one installed as a symbolic head of a country, while someone else holds the real power — is one type of figurehead. If a retiring businesswoman promotes her son to be the new CEO of her company, while putting a different person in charge of running the business, the son is just a figurehead. The word figurehead comes from its original meaning, the figures carved at the front of old sailing ships.

Example Sentences

I was able to separate Chavez the man from the movement for which he was a figurehead.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Gisèle Pelicot, who has become a global figurehead of feminism after waving her right to anonymity in a high-profile rape trial in France, is among the headliners at this year's Hay Festival.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

And in 2018’s “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word,” Wenders was given rare access to Western religion’s most prominent figurehead as he preached progressive values around the world.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

At the time Kennedy was weighing installing a new leader for the FDA, leaving Makary to be more of a figurehead, the Journal previously reported.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Her figurehead showed a laughing woman holding an infant by one foot, but the woman’s cheeks and the babe’s bottom were both pocked by wormholes.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• cipher
• nonentity
• puppet