poster child

noun

1. a child appearing on a poster for a charitable organization.

2. a person or thing that exemplifies or represents.

   She could be a poster child for good sportsmanship.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poster child¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

While he was confined, with no access to his attorneys or the news, Hernández Romero had no idea he had become a poster child for the movement to free the prisoners.

From Los Angeles Times

Amy, who founded sustainable fashion brand Akyn earlier this year, also felt pressure to be a "poster child" for ethical fashion.

From BBC

It also reflected a concerted effort by Trump and other prominent conservative figures to single out Hernandez, individually, as an unwitting poster child for such concerns.

From Los Angeles Times

RBS was the poster child for banking recklessness, hubris, greed and cruelty.

From BBC

“It was such a period of decadence and grandeur, and Beverly Hills was kind of the poster child for that,” says production designer Matthew Flood Ferguson.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• icon 
• representative