idol

noun

ˈī-dᵊl 

1

: an object of extreme devotion

a movie idol

also : ideal sense 2

2

: a representation or symbol of an object of worship

broadly : a false god

3

a

: a likeness of something

b

obsolete : pretender, impostor

4

: a false conception : fallacy

5

: a form or appearance visible but without substance

… an enchanted phantom, a lifeless idol …

—Percy Bysshe Shelley

Synonyms of idol

• hero

Examples of idol in a Sentence

an actor who is the idol of millions

a movie star whose portrayal of a comic book superhero in a blockbuster series has made him the idol of millions

Recent Examples on the Web

Curiously, the same thing happened to Altobelli, and the two of us ended up breaking into a clamorous chorus of laughter, confirming our complicity, especially when laughing at one of our idols. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

The objects of female desire—boy bands, teen idols, soap opera characters, suspiciously close hockey players—have always been subject to ridicule. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Brody points to Steve Jobs, Holmes’s idol, who walked through the first iPhone demo onstage in 2007 using a prototype that barely worked. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026

Those movies are my comfort food, and those women were my idols as a kid. — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French idle, from Late Latin idolum, from Greek eidōlon image, idol; akin to Greek eidos form — more at idyll

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing idol

• fallen idol
• matinee idol

Rhymes for idol

• bridal
• bridle
• idle
• idyll
• seidel
• sidle
• tidal
• widal
• apsidal
• subtidal
• bactericidal
• insecticidal

Kids Definition

idol

noun

ˈid-ᵊl 

1

: an image worshipped as a god

2

: a greatly loved and admired person or thing