figurine
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of figurine
1850–55; < French < Italian figurina, equivalent to figur ( a ) figure + -ina -ine 1 (here diminutive)
Explanation
A figurine is a small carved or molded statue, especially one in the shape of a person. If you have an extensive collection of figurines, you need to keep them high up and safe so your kids don't break them. The word figurine is from the Italian word figurina, which itself is based on the Latin word figura, which means shape, body, or figure. You can buy all sorts of figurines. If you like movies, you can collect figurines that depict famous movie characters. You can also get figurines of comic book heroes. It's even common to have the figurine of a saint.
Vocabulary lists containing figurine
Purple Hibiscus
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The Stone Age - Middle School and High School
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The Stone Age - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Instead of DFA-ing the figurine or placing it on the injured list, Neto accepted the Pikachu for all its flaws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
She had received an award from her workplace for exceptional performance as a nurse, but the figurine had fallen and shattered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Four days later, Carney addressed the nation displaying a figurine of Gen. Isaac Brock, who repelled U.S. forces invading what is today Canada in the War of 1812.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
In Vogelherd Cave in Lone Valley, for example, archaeologists uncovered a small mammoth figurine carved from mammoth ivory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
It was around this time that Aaron Giebel had begun work on his house—although calling it a house was the same as describing the Statue of Liberty as a figurine.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Pop Mart's Labubu figurines, for example, became a global phenomenon with minimal traditional advertising.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
The 13-inch figurines then go for astronomical prices on the secondary market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Brent Poer and Beau Quillian’s historic home is an exuberant collage of Hermès plates, Black Forest antlers, Staffordshire porcelain figurines, majolica plates and art that has been lovingly curated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
BTS hoodies, wallets and figurines were on sale at new pop-up stores and convenience shops.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
It cracked the top shelf, swept the beige, finger-size ceramic figurines of ballet dancers in various contorted postures to the hard floor and then landed after them.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
