figurine
Americannoun
-
figurines
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of figurine
1850–55; < French < Italian figurina, equivalent to figur ( a ) figure + -ina -ine 1 (here diminutive)
Explanation
A figurine is a small carved or molded statue, especially one in the shape of a person. If you have an extensive collection of figurines, you need to keep them high up and safe so your kids don't break them. The word figurine is from the Italian word figurina, which itself is based on the Latin word figura, which means shape, body, or figure. You can buy all sorts of figurines. If you like movies, you can collect figurines that depict famous movie characters. You can also get figurines of comic book heroes. It's even common to have the figurine of a saint.
Vocabulary lists containing figurine
Purple Hibiscus
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The Stone Age - Middle School and High School
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The Stone Age - Introductory
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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:
They salvaged precious few things: a clay figurine Missi and Frank had purchased on their honeymoon in Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
On the Angels’ broadcast the previous night, reporter Erica Weston presented play-by-play announcer Wayne Randazzo with a birthday gift: a figurine of Grogu, a character in the Star Wars family.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Four days later, Carney addressed the nation displaying a figurine of Gen. Isaac Brock, who repelled U.S. forces invading what is today Canada in the War of 1812.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
In Vogelherd Cave in Lone Valley, for example, archaeologists uncovered a small mammoth figurine carved from mammoth ivory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
She stared at the figurine pieces on the floor and then knelt and started to pick them up with her bare hands.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
More than a dozen plastic figurines lie prone or face up, with one on its side under a bicycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
In St. Louis, an interior designer shared her love of Pilates, escape rooms and collecting angel figurines and animal bones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The two companies decided to change the way the figurines were auctioned to avoid the gouging narrative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
You can see if you know more about the ’90s than our resident Gen Xer, play a crossword that includes references to Beanie Babies and Hummel figurines, and more.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
The porcelain figurines were in a straight line on the window-ledge, all facing the same way.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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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.
