figurine
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of figurine
1850–55; < French < Italian figurina, equivalent to figur ( a ) figure + -ina -ine 1 (here diminutive)
Explanation
A figurine is a small carved or molded statue, especially one in the shape of a person. If you have an extensive collection of figurines, you need to keep them high up and safe so your kids don't break them. The word figurine is from the Italian word figurina, which itself is based on the Latin word figura, which means shape, body, or figure. You can buy all sorts of figurines. If you like movies, you can collect figurines that depict famous movie characters. You can also get figurines of comic book heroes. It's even common to have the figurine of a saint.
Vocabulary lists containing figurine
Purple Hibiscus
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The Stone Age - Middle School and High School
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The Stone Age - Introductory
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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:
Four days later, Carney addressed the nation displaying a figurine of Gen. Isaac Brock, who repelled U.S. forces invading what is today Canada in the War of 1812.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
The miniature versions have fewer than 1,000 pieces, including a purple lightning bolt for the extreme ultraviolet light—and a Lego figurine dressed in a bunny suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
In Vogelherd Cave in Lone Valley, for example, archaeologists uncovered a small mammoth figurine carved from mammoth ivory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
As “Oceanwide Plaza” subverts the fantasy of the miniature, the dolls do the same for the collectible figurine, asking what makes a moment “precious.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
She stared at the figurine pieces on the floor and then knelt and started to pick them up with her bare hands.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
On her fireplace, an ornate gilded mirror from the 1940s she found at Sunbeam Vintage is flanked by porcelain figurines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A character that works can sell figurines, keychains, apparel, snacks, event tickets, and co-branded goods.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
The 13-inch figurines then go for astronomical prices on the secondary market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
More than 40,000 years ago, early humans were already engraving symbols onto tools, figurines, and other objects.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
Sometimes I wanted it all to be a dream—the missal flung at the etagere, the shattered figurines, the brittle air.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
