statue
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
At one stage, he says, he hid the statue in an undisclosed location in Ohio until final payments arrived.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Last October, the only outdoor monument in Washington to honor a Confederate general -- a statue of Albert Pike -- was restored.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
Gonzalez Rogers opted to allow a photo of the statue given to Joshua Achiam, now OpenAI’s chief futurist, to be admitted.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
This whistlestop tour of key locations in Eric's early life and career will set off from the comedian's statue on the promenade and attendees will be charged £2 per person, payable on departure.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
He was still as a statue between me and Dad, trying to make himself smaller.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
