sequin
Americannoun
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a small shining disk or spangle used for ornamentation, as on clothing, accessories, or theatrical costumes.
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a former gold coin of Venice, introduced in 1284; ducat.
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a former gold coin of Malta, introduced c1535.
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a former gold coin of Turkey, introduced in 1478.
noun
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a small piece of shiny often coloured metal foil or plastic, usually round, used to decorate garments, etc
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Also called: zecchino. any of various gold coins that were formerly minted in Italy, Turkey, and Malta
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sequin
First recorded in 1575–85; from French sequin, from Italian zecchino, equivalent to zecc(a) “mint” (from Arabic sikkah “die, coin”) + -ino -ine 2
Explanation
A sequin is a flat little bead that catches the light and makes evening gowns shimmer. One little sequin is pretty, but they like to stick together. There’d be no figure skating without sequins. Sequins were originally made out of tiny metal discs, but today they're commonly made from shiny circles of plastic. The original sequins explain the name, which stems from their resemblance to coins; sequin was the 17th century name of an Italian gold coin. Today's sequins are used to decorate clothes, shoes, handbags, and anything else that needs extra sparkles.
Vocabulary lists containing sequin
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Night Diary
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Nine Stories
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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:
Nicole Kidman showed up in a red sequin dress because she “wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used in art through the years.”
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Get your blond wigs, sequin dresses and cowboy boots ready.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Among the pieces that she had teased on social media were a sewing machine, a steamer, lamps, a “tiny side table,” a sequin romper, and a Bergdorf Goodman jacket.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
We also saw Goldstein live out her Barbie dreams, as she did daring dips, squats and swirls in a silver sequin jumpsuit, while Davies and Olympian Harry Aikines-Aryeetey also impressed.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
El picks up a photo of her mom in a floor-length red sequin gown.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO show "Girls", wore a vivid Valentino red dress made out of feathers and sequins.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Still I feel for those in long sleeves and/or tons of sequins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
"Dressed up in black-tie from sequins to suits, dancing to your favourite artists in a beautiful riverside setting, all festival-goers love how they can be part of the spectacle themselves."
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
A week ago you may have had no idea who he was, this blonde rocket in sequins who looked like he belonged on a Frozen lunchbox.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
She wore a long-sleeved leotard, with a big plume of peacock feathers fanning out from her butt area, studded with glittering blue and green sequins and trailing black-sequined feather boas from her wrists.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
