doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a(1)

: a pretty but often empty-headed young woman

(2)

: woman

b

: darling, sweetheart

c

: an attractive person

dollish

ˈdä-lish 

ˈdȯ-

adjective

dollishly adverb

dollishness noun

Synonyms of doll

• dolly
• puppet

Examples of doll in a Sentence

My aunt collects porcelain dolls.

there was a row of dolls along the shelf in the bedroom

Recent Examples on the Web

Gerber’s The Shards costars Homer Gere and Hayes Warner pressed the model for more information about the doll as part of the game, which requires actors to discern whether their costars are sharing true or false stories. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

As a child, Madix would put on shows for her pug, Ming, and a doll of Fievel, the mouse from An American Tail. — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026

The founders of iconic brands such as Ideal, Mattel, Marx, Hasbro, Kenner, Wham-O and Madame Alexander dolls shared roots in Yiddish-speaking Europe, and childhoods as the sons and daughters of immigrants. — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

The dolls and books, which depict 9- and 10-year-olds, became part of daily life for millions of American girls. — Tara Strauch, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from Doll, nickname for Dorothy

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing doll

• Barbie doll
• bobblehead doll
• doll's house
• doll up
• Matryoshka doll
• nesting doll
• rag doll
• Russian doll

Rhymes for doll

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• drawl
• fall
• gall

Kids Definition

doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a

: a pretty young woman

b

: an attractive person