doll
noun
a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.
doll
1 American
[dol]
/ dɒl /
noun
-
dolls
plural
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a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.
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a small figure representing a nonhuman character, for use as a toy.
cartoon character dolls.
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Slang.
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a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman.
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a girl or woman, especially one who is considered attractive.
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a boy or man who is considered attractive.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).
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Informal. a generous or helpful person.
You're a doll for lending me your car.
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Slang. a barbiturate in pill form.
verb phrase
Doll
2
American
[dol]
/ dɒl /
noun
doll
British
/ dɒl /
noun
-
a small model or dummy of a human being, used as a toy
-
slang a pretty girl or woman of little intelligence: sometimes used as a term of address
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of doll
First recorded in 1550–60; generic use of Doll
Explanation
A doll is a toy that looks like a small person, often a baby. When kids play with dolls, they might dress them up, push them in toy strollers, and have pretend tea parties with them. Some dolls are the size of real babies and are played with in a way that's a kind of practice parenting — like pretending to feed and bathe a doll. Other dolls are much smaller and represent people of varying ages, like a family of dolls that are played with in a doll house, sitting at little tables and sleeping in tiny beds. The word doll is also an old-fashioned, slightly offensive term for a woman, especially one who's young and pretty.
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:
Houston’s estate worked closely with Mattel to create a doll that captures the late singer’s essence and glamour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Mattel unveils a pink Angel Reese No. 5 jersey on the doll with signature Reebok basketball shoes during a full-circle moment following her messy departure from Chicago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Kreitzman also has a curator - Jaime Freestone , external- who often stays over and keeps displays like the one with a multitude of ancient Egyptian busts and doll heads in order.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Setup: Woody, a pull-string doll from the 1950s and the favorite of his owner Andy, feels threatened by the newfangled interloper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
That night at bedtime I heard Mama tell Papa, “She made it through the day! That doll has worked a miracle.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
His abstract painting "Doll Boy" -- a reference to his crush on the pop singer Cliff Richard -- caught the eye of the art dealer John Kasmin, who bought it for £40.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
As well as the new single and tour, both Pussycat Dolls albums - PCD and Doll Domination - will be reissued with previously unreleased tracks.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
“Stocks are priced for near perfection,” said Bob Doll, chief investment officer at Crossmark Global Investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
“It was good enough to commit,” Doll told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
Doll sprang from sink to range, skidded and almost slipped, and picked up two rags to drag the cauldron off the heat.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The gains were partially offset by the company’s dolls and infant, toddler and preschool categories, where gross billings fell 5% and 11%, respectively, primarily due to declines in Barbie and Fisher-Price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It is measured in T-shirts and ticket sales, tourists and movie promotions, bobblehead dolls and international corporate sponsorships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Companies are also making talking products targeted at isolated, elderly users -- such as the lamp-like ElliQ in the United States, or ChatGPT-powered care dolls used in some South Korean retirement homes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
"A psychologist just told me that it's part of the process," she said, while her two young daughters play with dolls on a mattress on the grass.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Some neighbor girls in the old mill village had played with those same grass dolls.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
