model
Americannoun
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models
plural
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a standard or example for imitation or comparison.
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a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
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an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.
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a person or thing that serves as a subject for an artist, sculptor, writer, etc.
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a person whose profession is posing for artists or photographers.
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a person employed to wear clothing or pose with a product for purposes of display and advertising.
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a style or design of a particular product.
His car is last year's model.
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a pattern or mode of structure or formation.
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a typical form or style.
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a simplified representation of a system or phenomenon, as in the sciences or economics, with any hypotheses required to describe the system or explain the phenomenon, often mathematically.
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Zoology. an animal that is mimicked in form or color by another.
adjective
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serving as an example or model.
a model home open to prospective buyers.
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worthy to serve as a model; exemplary.
a model student.
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being a small or miniature version of something.
He enjoyed building model ships.
verb (used with object)
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models,
present (3rd person singular)
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modeled,
past participle, past
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modelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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modeling,
present participle
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modelling
present participle (especially British)
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to form or plan according to a model.
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to give shape or form to; fashion.
- Synonyms:
- design
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to make a miniature model of.
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to fashion in clay, wax, or the like.
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to simulate (a process, concept, or the operation of a system), commonly with the aid of a computer.
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to display to other persons or to prospective customers, especially by wearing.
to model dresses.
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to use or include as an element in a larger construct.
to model new data into the forecast.
verb (used without object)
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models,
present (3rd person singular)
-
modeled,
past participle, past
-
modelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
modeling,
present participle
-
modelling
present participle (especially British)
-
to make models.
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to produce designs in some plastic material.
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to assume a typical or natural appearance, as the parts of a drawing in progress.
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to serve or be employed as a model.
noun
-
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a representation, usually on a smaller scale, of a device, structure, etc
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( as modifier )
a model train
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-
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a standard to be imitated
she was my model for good scholarship
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( as modifier )
a model wife
-
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a representative form, style, or pattern
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a person who poses for a sculptor, painter, or photographer
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a person who wears clothes to display them to prospective buyers; mannequin
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a preparatory sculpture in clay, wax, etc, from which the finished work is copied
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a design or style, esp one of a series of designs of a particular product
last year's model
-
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an original unique article of clothing
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( as modifier )
a model coat
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a simplified representation or description of a system or complex entity, esp one designed to facilitate calculations and predictions
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logic
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an interpretation of a formal system under which the theorems derivable in that system are mapped onto truths
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a theory in which a given sentence is true
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verb
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to make a model of (something or someone)
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to form in clay, wax, etc; mould
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to display (clothing and accessories) as a mannequin
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to plan or create according to a model or models
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to arrange studio lighting so that highlights and shadows emphasize the desired features of a human form or an inanimate object
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A systematic description of an object or phenomenon that shares important characteristics with the object or phenomenon. Scientific models can be material, visual, mathematical, or computational and are often used in the construction of scientific theories.
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See also hypothesis theory
Synonym Usage
See ideal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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modelernoun
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modellernoun
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premodelverb (used without object)
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unmodeledadjective
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unmodelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modelsimple
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modelssimple
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have modeledperfect
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have modelledperfect
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has modeledperfect
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has modelledperfect
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am modelingprogressive
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am modellingprogressive
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are modelingprogressive
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are modellingprogressive
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is modelingprogressive
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is modellingprogressive
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have been modelingperfect progressive
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have been modellingperfect progressive
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has been modelingperfect progressive
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has been modellingperfect progressive
Past
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modeledsimple
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modelledsimple
-
had modeledperfect
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had modelledperfect
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was modelingprogressive
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was modellingprogressive
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were modelingprogressive
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were modellingprogressive
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had been modelingperfect progressive
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had been modellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of model
First recorded 1565–75; earlier modell, from Middle French modelle, from Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin modellus (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin mod(ulus), a unit of measurement ( see module) + -ellus -elle
Explanation
To model something is to show it off. To make a model of your favorite car is to create a miniature version of it. To be a model is to be so gorgeous that you’re photographed for a living. The word model, which can be a noun, verb, or adjective, comes from the Latin word modulus, meaning “measure,” or “standard.” If you are a model student, you do everything as the school and teachers wish: you are the standard. If you model your life on your hero's, you try to do what he or she does. If you are a clothing designer you will need to hire a model to model your creations.
Vocabulary lists containing model
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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The Scientific Method
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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:
"We should have a model where we have broader people elected to it who can feed in all those issues into a Yorkshire-wide parliament. That, to me, is only a good thing," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Give the Danes credit for behaving like a model ally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The business model was simple: You tell them how much you’re willing to invest in your new “home country,” and they tell you where you can afford to buy citizenship.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Phobos' present-day gravity field, shape, density, spectral properties, and changing orbit must all be reconciled within a single geophysical model.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
“There’s a certain model of whatnot—real whatnots, I mean, the androids Frances Miranda Gonzagaga originally built,” she said.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Nvidia is a key player in the industry, developing cutting edge computer chips that are crucial for making AI models.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
As OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta all acknowledged this summer that their models had hacked outside companies, it raised an obvious question: Where’s Google?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Large-language models built by companies like OpenAI and Anthropic keep breaking out of their testing sandboxes.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
A 2025 Nature Communications study led by Montanari found comparable effects in models involving flocking behavior and drone swarms.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
“We checked out our weather models on the laptop to make sure we were ready for tomorrow,” said Kat.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Mark Twain modeled the character of Capt. Stormfield on Edgar “Ned” Wakeman, a steamship captain of his acquaintance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“He modeled what he believed in: that everyone had a right to a good life, to justice, to love… things happen, but you get back up and try again.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
The modeled encounters occurred approximately 2 to 3 million years ago, 6 to 7 million years ago, and 13 to 14 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
The data is based on information from advisory firm Oxford Economics, which modeled data center capex in 36 countries and territories and five regions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
She says she was buying socks with her mother the week after her braces came off and some lady asked if she modeled.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
He ended decades of political dominance by dynastic parties and envisioned a national welfare state modelled on the Islamic golden age of the seventh to 14th centuries, a flourishing period in the Muslim world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Taking into account the world's ageing population, they then modelled how heat will affect the health of three different age ranges by 2100 under varying levels of global warming.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
She is a commentator for outlets within conservative French billionaire Vincent Bollore's media stable, including the CNews television channel, which is seen as modelled on America's Fox News.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The 15-second AI-generated clip was posted on Instagram by a popular blogger with the online name Katya Jin, and the couple appear to be modelled on her and her husband.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
This meant, at least in theory, you’d be able to find the person you were modelled from.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ecological modeling also indicated that the new species favors a different type of habitat than similar members of the genus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The asymmetric leg involves modeling a bear and bull case to determine how much he could lose if he’s wrong and how much he could make if he’s right.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
So far, A.I. boosters have been quick to take credit when their models hit a new benchmark in email-writing or 3D modeling.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
"But when we used the same parameters as original impact modeling - down to the equal temperature structures inside both bodies - within around five hours, an intact moon emerged."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
“She’s got a photo shoot next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I supposed to tell her stylist?”
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
“Our modelling suggests eurozone headline inflation could rise above 3.5% later this year if current energy prices persist,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The threat that rising temperatures fuelled by climate change pose to the health of older people has been dramatically underestimated, according to a US modelling study published Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The dataset combines observations from satellites operated by multiple countries, weather stations on land, at sea and in the air, together with climate modelling.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Bardot, who died in December, aged 91, rose to fame during her teen modelling career, later becoming a famous actress starring in the film 'And God Created Woman'.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The jovilabe allowed the modelling of a highly complicated theoretical system without endless calculations or any loss of precision.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
