figurehead
noun
a person who is head of a group, company, etc., in title but actually has no real authority or responsibility.
figureheads
-
pluralof figurehead.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
In Colonial-era America, sculpture was a craft, not an art, its practitioners artisans who fashioned utilitarian objects like ships’ figureheads and shop signs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The attacks against AI figureheads have no demonstrable ties to one another, nor do they claim affiliation with any shared organization.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
Fittingly, two of the figureheads of the 'old PSG' - who were more about egos than a team - were both on the wrong side of 4-0 hammerings in the US.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2025
But when we first meet these central characters, they are not the figureheads for virtue.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2025
Always she waited, her eyes straining to make out the figure on the prow, and always, at the sight of those strange, glistening white figureheads, her heart sank.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
