mannequin

noun

man·​ne·​quin ˈma-ni-kən 

1

: an artist's, tailor's, or dressmaker's lay figure

also : a form representing the human figure used especially for displaying clothes

2

: one employed to model clothing

Synonyms of mannequin

• doll
• dummy

Examples of mannequin in a Sentence

the mannequin over there looks so real

mannequins striding down the catwalk in the designer's spring collection

Recent Examples on the Web

But the mannequin sporting a naval-grazing Christopher Esber gown begs to differ. — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Ryan Lawlor, who came up with the idea for the town’s Halloween scarecrow contest, got the mannequin heads, then searched for the right pair of glass frames and found them in a Dollar Store. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

Inside, mannequins dressed in different looks from the collection were interspersed around the bookstore’s 7,000-square-foot space. — Donna Kim, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026

Milena Canonero’s Oscar-winning costumes dress mannequins modeled on Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, positioned beneath historical portraits and busts in the very rooms where the real figures once danced and broke bread. — Ben Croll, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Dutch mannekijn little man — more at manikin

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mannequin

• manikin

Kids Definition

mannequin

noun

man·​ne·​quin ˈman-i-kən 

1

: an artist's, tailor's, or dressmaker's jointed figure of the human body

2

: a form representing the human figure used especially for displaying clothes

3

: a person employed to model clothing