mannequin

American  

[man-i-kin] / ˈmæn ɪ kɪn /

Or manikin

noun

1. a styled and three-dimensional representation of the human form used in window displays, as of clothing; dummy.

2. a wooden figure or model of the human figure used by tailors, dress designers, etc., for fitting or making clothes.

3. a person employed to wear clothing to be photographed or to be displayed before customers, buyers, etc.; a clothes model.

4. lay figure.

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mannequin British  

/ ˈmænɪkɪn /

noun

1. a woman who wears the clothes displayed at a fashion show; model

2. a life-size dummy of the human body used to fit or display clothes

3. arts another name for lay figure

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Etymology

Origin of mannequin

1560–70; < French < Dutch; see manikin

Explanation

A mannequin is a human-like figure that's usually used to display clothing in a store. A mannequin in a department store window can look quite normal, but a mannequin in someone's home can look downright creepy. Any store that sells clothes is likely to have at least a few mannequins, so shoppers can see what dresses and sweaters and hats look like on a (fake) person's body. Another kind of mannequin, more often called a "dressmaker's dummy" is helpful to someone who's sewing a skirt or piecing together a suit. Still other mannequins are used to practice emergency techniques, from CPR to water rescues by the Coast Guard.

Example Sentences

Lisa, a member of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK, wears a white Robert Wun gown with an interesting illusion: mannequin arms hold up a white veil, while her real arms are free to pose.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

She spends much of her time practicing on mannequin heads in her childhood room.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

"Her favorite colors, without a doubt, I would say are purple and burgundy," the 63-year-old pattern-maker and tailor told AFP amid her sewing machines and a mannequin on which she assembles the presidential wardrobe.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

He had to operate out of shotgun, as opposed to being under center, wasn’t as sharp and accurate as he typically is, and protected a gloved left hand that looked borrowed from a Macy’s mannequin.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2025

A round young woman with frizzy brown hair kneels on the floor in front of a cloth mannequin, stitching tiny pearls onto a bodice.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• dummy