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.

---

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

---

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

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

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

Donna calls out, and goes over to hug the mannequin.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

The only jerseys in the store for Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé were worn by mannequins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

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

Impostor syndrome kicks in, fabrics start tearing, and half-fitted mannequins, under a studio light at 2 a.m., look like they might never be fully dressed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026

Lands where trans-friendly bathrooms were the norm and mannequins weren’t seen as the ideal body shape.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• dummy