mannequin

American  

[man-i-kin] / ˈmæn ɪ kɪn /

Or manikin

noun

mannequins plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mannequins
  plural

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

See Examples For:

mannequin mannequins

At the time, experts suggested a more likely scenario: an electric drone — perhaps with a mannequin attached.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

Cipriano, 35, a man of starched white shirts, neatly-parted hair and wire-rimmed glasses, resembles a Brooks Brothers mannequin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

The image of the red Tesla occupied by a mannequin dubbed Starman -- after David Bowie -- was seen around the world.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

Once the sari and the matching blue blouse reached the museum, textiles conservator Beth Knight watched YouTube videos to learn how to drape it on the mannequin.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

I had done rescue breathing in my first responder course exactly once, and that was on a mannequin.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Equipped with beds, mannequins, a mock laboratory, and protective gear, the simulation centre prepares doctors, nurses, and clinicians for deployments in DRC, or from regional countries at risk from the spreading disease.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

California highway patrol is getting wise to jackets and mannequins by carpool lane cheaters.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026

"People aren't mannequins, they're unique, and so are their fit preferences," says Paul Alger, Director of International Business at the UK Fashion and Textile Association.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025

“The cracked mannequins, faded photos and worn ceilings all tell stories of labor, love and community.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

On every block, there are stores displaying wristwatches with flowered bands, black radios blasting Vietnamese songs, televisions projecting hand puppets talking to happy young children, and red traditional dresses on headless mannequins.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Related Words

• dummy