noun
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a person nominally having a prominent position, but no real authority
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a carved bust or full-length figure at the upper end of the stems of some sailing vessels
Etymology
Origin of figurehead
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.
Vocabulary lists containing figurehead
Revolution in Our Time
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Civilizations of East Asia and Southeast Asia, Lesson 4–7
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fig
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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.
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
Simply getting Zuckerberg on the stand Wednesday was a coup for the plaintiffs and a potential liability for his company’s platforms, which must now contend with profound public distaste for the Meta figurehead.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
Pimblett is no longer the kid who does not know his way around the gym - he is the figurehead among his peers and on the cusp of realising a career-long dream.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026
A religious figurehead, he claims a pope-like status as the head of millions of Shiite Muslims around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
She was tall and built like the figurehead of a ship carved by a generous hand.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
