statue
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of statue
1300–50; Middle English < Middle French < Latin statua, noun derivative of statuere to set up, itself derivative of status ( see status)
Explanation
To stand as still as a statue is to stand absolutely still, a statue being a sculpture, after all. A statue is a specific kind of sculpture, one that clearly represents a person, an animal, or other living creature. There's no question that the first thing most people think of when they hear the word statue is the Statue of Liberty. The woman's name is Liberty and there she is, a statue. Any sculpture that represents a person (Liberty, George Washington, Gandhi, or the Mad Hatter) is called a statue. In New York's Central Park, there is a much beloved statue of a dog named Balto, a heroic husky from Alaska.
Vocabulary lists containing statue
Academy Awards, List 1
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"The Secret Water"
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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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:
In Keelung, locals flocked to a fresh food market to buy fruit and vegetables, street food vendors secured their stands, and a temple covered and tied down an outdoor statue ahead of the storm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
On Tuesday, four people died when more than 1 million fans gathered near Ángel de la Independencia statue to celebrate Mexico’s win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
In Dumfries, the Robert Burns statue was given a new hat to protect the poet from last week's sweltering heat.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
His statue shows Washington standing with one foot slightly in front of the other and dressed as commander in chief of the Revolutionary army.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
On the bottom of the statue, there’s an inscription.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
As I stared into empty niches that once contained massive wooden statues of saints, I meditated on how fragile our democracy is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
A man at the press conference took the microphone and told Dalic there should be statues built of him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Scotland fans also introduced Americans to the tradition of putting traffic cones on statues.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Communities soon removed statues and busts of him and scrubbed his name from streets, parks and schools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mom and John Mark are sitting there stiff as statues.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
