dolly

1 of 2

noun

dol·​ly ˈdä-lē 

ˈdȯ-lē

plural dollies

1

: doll

2

: a wooden-pronged instrument for beating and stirring clothes in the process of washing them in a tub

3

: a compact narrow-gauge railroad locomotive for moving construction trains and for switching

4

a

: a platform on a roller or on wheels or casters for moving heavy objects

b

: a wheeled platform for a television or movie camera

dolly

2 of 2

verb

dollied; dollying

transitive verb

1

: to treat with a dolly

2

: to move or convey on a dolly

intransitive verb

: to move a movie or television camera about on a dolly while shooting a scene

also, of a camera : to be moved on a dolly

Synonyms

Noun

• doll

Examples of dolly in a Sentence

Noun

We'll need a dolly to move the refrigerator.

my kid sister was always playing with her dollies

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The deliverymen with their dollies and boxes, ready with their tags. —Mona Awad, New Yorker, 20 July 2025

Similarly, in World of Warcraft, the scroll wheel dollies the camera in and out, changing the view of the game. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2011

Dutro specializes in fabricating equipment like hand trucks, carts and dollies, so a vehicular trailer in the hot overland adventure market is a natural extension of its talents. —New Atlas, 14 Apr. 2025

The soundless video shows a worker walking toward the black and white colored chopper that has its main rotor blade tied to a dolly. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1878, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing dolly

• dolly bird
• dolly shot

Rhymes for dolly

• colley
• collie
• folly
• golly
• holly
• jolley
• jolly
• lolly
• mollie
• molly
• ollie
• polly

Kids Definition

dolly

noun

ˈdäl-ē,

ˈdȯ-lē

plural dollies

1

: doll sense 1

2

: a platform on a roller or on wheels for moving heavy objects

especially : a wheeled platform for a television or motion-picture camera