poster child
Americannoun
-
a child appearing on a poster for a charitable organization.
-
a person or thing that exemplifies or represents.
She could be a poster child for good sportsmanship.
Etymology
Origin of poster child
First recorded in 1990–95
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.
ServiceNow was the poster child for the problem.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
The California city was once a drought poster child, but now it generates enough water to rescue parched states.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
A similar saga played out with Red Dye No. 3, which Benesh describes as “the poster child of federal government inaction.”
From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026
Chad Baker-Mazara is the poster child for 2026 college athletics.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026
At the same time, Reggie wasn’t just a member of the Church, he was a poster child for many of its best-regarded attributes: clean-cut, churchgoing, family-focused, committed to going on a mission.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
