figurine
Americannoun
-
figurines
plural
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:
Instead of DFA-ing the figurine or placing it on the injured list, Neto accepted the Pikachu for all its flaws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
They salvaged precious few things: a clay figurine Missi and Frank had purchased on their honeymoon in Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
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
In Vogelherd Cave in Lone Valley, for example, archaeologists uncovered a small mammoth figurine carved from mammoth ivory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
She slowly ran the cloth over a figurine, one of its match-stick-size legs raised high in the air, before she spoke.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
More than a dozen plastic figurines lie prone or face up, with one on its side under a bicycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Amid lagging sales, retailers marked down the figurines, alienating collectors who want to see items appreciate in value.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
You can see if you know more about the ’90s than our resident Gen Xer, play a crossword that includes references to Beanie Babies and Hummel figurines, and more.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Alice Greene spent part of a recent Tuesday evening at a clawcade in Manhattan with two friends, trying to pick up “blind boxes” that contain miniature mystery figurines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Last year was Hayao Miyazaki, when we’d watched as many Miyazaki films as we could and collected figurines.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
