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:
Pop star Jade Thirlwall also attended the party in New York dressed as a stone statue of an angel, while Severance and Spider-Man actor Tramell Tillman turned up with intricate face makeup and prosthetics.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
As one person wrote, it’s the “first statue to have a redemption arc.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
A giant statue of Anant's late dog, Happy the Golden Retriever, stands at its headquarters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Staines-upon-Thames resident Alex Balkan, who campaigned for a statue of Ali G in the town, says the character remains a source of local pride.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
In the center of the quad stood a bronze statue of the school’s founder.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Miranda also referenced that difficult period during Friday's mission, when the players had to collect and assemble parts of Easter Island-like statues on a rainy hillside.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Upon arriving, the statues discover that Rome has undergone more than a few changes over the intervening centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“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
Géry Pieret thought the statues were Phoenician, made by the sea people of ancient Greece.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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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.
