physique
Americannoun
-
physiques
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of physique
1820–30; < French < Latin physicus. See physic
Explanation
Physique is a word used to describe the form or shape of the human body. If you have a buff physique, you’re in great shape. Well done. Physique, pronounced "fiz-eek,” is from French for “physical.” Someone with a muscular physique has been getting physical in the gym. Everyone has a physique (except ghosts) but the word often refers to a muscular or well-sculpted body. Sometimes people who train for events like marathons or body-building competitions like to take pictures of their physiques before and after.
Vocabulary lists containing physique
And Then There Were None
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English Words Derived from French, List 4
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Dumplin'
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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:
Student Will Seward, 19, started going to the gym when he was at secondary school because he wanted to "get stronger and build up his physique".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Self-proclaimed experts online also sell advice vowing to help men "optimise" their physique.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The president’s son called Navarro “my boy” and complimented him on the “jacked” physique he developed while in prison.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
As I said, bulldogs have a unique physique that can age them more quickly.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
He felt deeply drawn to him, and not solely because he was intrigued by the contrast between O’Brien’s urbane manner and his prizefighter’s physique.
From "1984" by George Orwell
I look at some of the physiques that step up on stage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Maybe they were just happy to have completed what Foster called “the most demanding winter that I’ve been part of here at UCLA,” which resulted in a legion of transformed physiques.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2025
Weight-restricted rugby's potential for growth may be mostly at the grassroots level, retaining players who feel that, while rugby is a game for all sizes, they would prefer a format with more evenly matched physiques.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2025
Also known as water bears and moss piglets, tardigrades sport blobby physiques, lumbering gaits and perfectly circular mouths stuck in the middle of their otherwise-featureless faces.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024
If fine bodies and impressive physiques were essential to being a leader I saw that few among us would have qualified.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
