model
Americannoun
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a standard or example for imitation or comparison.
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a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
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an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.
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a person or thing that serves as a subject for an artist, sculptor, writer, etc.
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a person whose profession is posing for artists or photographers.
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a person employed to wear clothing or pose with a product for purposes of display and advertising.
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a style or design of a particular product.
His car is last year's model.
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a pattern or mode of structure or formation.
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a typical form or style.
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a simplified representation of a system or phenomenon, as in the sciences or economics, with any hypotheses required to describe the system or explain the phenomenon, often mathematically.
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Zoology. an animal that is mimicked in form or color by another.
adjective
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serving as an example or model.
a model home open to prospective buyers.
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worthy to serve as a model; exemplary.
a model student.
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being a small or miniature version of something.
He enjoyed building model ships.
verb (used with object)
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to form or plan according to a model.
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to give shape or form to; fashion.
- Synonyms:
- design
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to make a miniature model of.
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to fashion in clay, wax, or the like.
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to simulate (a process, concept, or the operation of a system), commonly with the aid of a computer.
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to display to other persons or to prospective customers, especially by wearing.
to model dresses.
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to use or include as an element in a larger construct.
to model new data into the forecast.
verb (used without object)
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to make models.
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to produce designs in some plastic material.
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to assume a typical or natural appearance, as the parts of a drawing in progress.
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to serve or be employed as a model.
noun
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a representation, usually on a smaller scale, of a device, structure, etc
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( as modifier )
a model train
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a standard to be imitated
she was my model for good scholarship
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( as modifier )
a model wife
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a representative form, style, or pattern
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a person who poses for a sculptor, painter, or photographer
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a person who wears clothes to display them to prospective buyers; mannequin
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a preparatory sculpture in clay, wax, etc, from which the finished work is copied
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a design or style, esp one of a series of designs of a particular product
last year's model
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an original unique article of clothing
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( as modifier )
a model coat
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a simplified representation or description of a system or complex entity, esp one designed to facilitate calculations and predictions
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logic
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an interpretation of a formal system under which the theorems derivable in that system are mapped onto truths
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a theory in which a given sentence is true
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verb
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to make a model of (something or someone)
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to form in clay, wax, etc; mould
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to display (clothing and accessories) as a mannequin
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to plan or create according to a model or models
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to arrange studio lighting so that highlights and shadows emphasize the desired features of a human form or an inanimate object
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A systematic description of an object or phenomenon that shares important characteristics with the object or phenomenon. Scientific models can be material, visual, mathematical, or computational and are often used in the construction of scientific theories.
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See also hypothesis theory
Synonym Usage
See ideal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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modelernoun
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modellernoun
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premodelverb (used without object)
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unmodeledadjective
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unmodelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modelsimple
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modelssimple
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have modeledperfect
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have modelledperfect
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has modeledperfect
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has modelledperfect
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am modelingprogressive
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am modellingprogressive
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are modelingprogressive
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are modellingprogressive
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is modelingprogressive
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is modellingprogressive
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have been modelingperfect progressive
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have been modellingperfect progressive
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has been modelingperfect progressive
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has been modellingperfect progressive
Past
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modeledsimple
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modelledsimple
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had modeledperfect
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had modelledperfect
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was modelingprogressive
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was modellingprogressive
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were modelingprogressive
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were modellingprogressive
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had been modelingperfect progressive
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had been modellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of model
First recorded 1565–75; earlier modell, from Middle French modelle, from Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin modellus (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin mod(ulus), a unit of measurement ( see module) + -ellus -elle
Explanation
To model something is to show it off. To make a model of your favorite car is to create a miniature version of it. To be a model is to be so gorgeous that you’re photographed for a living. The word model, which can be a noun, verb, or adjective, comes from the Latin word modulus, meaning “measure,” or “standard.” If you are a model student, you do everything as the school and teachers wish: you are the standard. If you model your life on your hero's, you try to do what he or she does. If you are a clothing designer you will need to hire a model to model your creations.
Vocabulary lists containing model
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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The Scientific Method
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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:
Initially, the model degraded responses to some questions about AI development without notifying users.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the CSA's report it references previous examples like in September 2024 when an earlier model of ChatGPT escaped its container to get an answer it needed for another test.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Robinson added that the AI model launched by Moonshot last week signaled that more efficient models will necessitate less capex going forward.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The ULR in its designation stands for "ultra long distance", a feat made possible by an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank being fitted to Airbus's A350-1000 model.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Leonardo explains that he’s been unable to find the right model for Judas.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Anthropic didn’t sign a letter supporting open-weight models, leaving it as one of the only notable AI companies not to back the statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
They turned to cheaper, open-weight models in earnest after that, particularly ones that weren’t built by U.S. frontier labs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Hours after the letter from companies supporting open-weight models became public, OpenAI signed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
On Monday, after a host of U.S. companies including Nvidia and Microsoft signed a letter showing their support for open models, Amodei published a letter clarifying his position on the heated debate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mostly she programmed the computer models; she didn’t know what made it work.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Audiobook platform ElevenReader, whose investors include actor Matthew McConaughey, even launched a version last month narrated by an AI-generated voice modeled after Michael Caine.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Wall Street had modeled sales of $6.35 billion, which would mark a 4% decrease from fiscal 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Lacy still lives in L.A., though he recorded a chunk of the LP in Paris and has modeled for the luxury line YSL there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead, they modeled a simplified point-like source of photons.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
“You know George Lucas modeled those AT-AT machines after them?”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Coventry City have modelled their transfer business in recent seasons on Brighton and Brentford's prudent work, but they will inevitably need to bring in experienced heads for their return to the Premier League.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Plans for an online release of the black-and-white soft toy, modelled on the original Game Boy version of the popular character, have since been announced.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
The late Pope Francis, who died last year after leading the Roman Catholic Church for more than a decade, chose his name and modelled his papacy after the radical humility of Saint Francis.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
Kjersti Moritz, at 21, is SSCV's next great hope and said she modelled her technique on Shiffrin.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
“The optimum population,” said Mustapha Mond, “is modelled on the iceberg—eight-ninths below the water line, one-ninth above.”
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Their work included repeated simulations, theoretical modeling, and detailed inspections of the instrument.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Adjusted earnings per share came out to $1.30 for the second quarter, up from $1.22 a year before and ahead of the $1.28 that analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The company also reported $2.93 in adjusted earnings per share, up 5% from a year prior but below the $2.95 that analysts had been modeling before last week’s release.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The researchers paired their XL-MS results with computational structural modeling.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
They’re both posing like they're on a modeling reality TV show, and above their heads is the caption: BEST-LOOKING.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Another associate of Epstein, French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, was found hanged in his Paris prison cell in 2022.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Anya says he asked her about her family, her interests, "what I was trying to accomplish in life, why I was doing modelling, all things that mattered for me".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The MoD said the roles would cover disciplines from data and modelling to project management.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
But our investigation has found that some of those working in the glamour modelling industry had concerns about Sullivan.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
References to the theories of Ptolemy and Copernicus are thus references to their mathematical modelling of the cosmos.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
