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
Besides the oddness of a group of men singing about wanting a paper doll, one line refers to “flirty, flirty guys, with their flirty eyes.”
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2018
That the lite of a man is worth the sale of a two-bit paper doll .
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
