paper doll
Americannoun
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a paper or cardboard, usually two-dimensional, representation of the human figure, used as a child's toy.
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Usually paper dolls. a connected series of doll-like figures cut from folded paper.
Etymology
Origin of paper doll
First recorded in 1840–50
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.
Print and build the Kraken mascot paper doll here.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
The boy stands out like a paper doll come to life, but only so far — the smoldering line that cuts him out of the scene also welds him back in.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2021
The two-level store sells more than just reading material: Pick up a Frida Kahlo paper doll, backpack by Sweden’s Fjallraven Kanken or dachshund-print notecards.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2019
In the world of paper doll publishing, the most famous gay player was Tom Tierney, who almost single-handedly kept paper dolls alive in the 1970s and ’80s—a low point for the popularity of the form.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2018
Instead, Sam looked like a paper doll that had been attacked with a giant hole-punch.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
