statue
Americannoun
-
statues
plural
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:
The statue will go under the hammer at Chorley's Auctioneers in Gloucester later.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
That statue previously appeared at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race in Washington.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
In his posts on Friday, Trump said he wants an 11-foot statue of Washington, which was featured at last month’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix race, to be installed right away at the museum’s Flag Hall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Prosecutors argued that evidence in the case, including the statue and archives from the Hong Kong Alliance's museum, should be confiscated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
I was so stiff that I felt I could lift right off the ground like a statue or something.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
“Pluribus” star Rhea Seehorn finally won the best actress statues that long eluded her, and series creator Vince Gilligan scored a writing Emmy.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum and research complex.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Then, he was a military commander in Bamiyan, where the Taliban blew up ancient giant Buddha statues, triggering international shock and condemnation.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Following his Olympic feat in Beijing, Phelps received offers for book and movie deals, bobblehead dolls, statues, tuxedos and free dental work, among other things, as WSJ reported at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
By taking the statues to the Paris-Journal, Apollinaire had done Picasso a huge favor: he’d let his friend stay out of the story.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
