model

noun

mod·el | \ ˈmä-dᵊl

Definition of model

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a usually miniature representation of something a plastic model of the human heart also : a pattern of something to be made

2a : a type or design of product (such as a car) offers eight new models for next year, including a completely restyled convertible

b : a type or design of clothing girls, self-conscious in their Paris models— Paul Bowles

3 : a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs also : a computer simulation (see simulation sense 3a) based on such a system climate models

4 : archetype

5 : an example for imitation or emulation his written addresses are models of clearness, logical order, and style— A. B. Noble

6 : one who is employed to display clothes or other merchandise has appeared as a model in ads for swimsuits

7 : a person or thing that serves as a pattern for an artist especially : one who poses for an artist His wife served as the model for many of his paintings.

8 : version sense 2 an experimental model of a bionic arm

9 : a description or analogy used to help visualize something (such as an atom) that cannot be directly observed

10 : structural design a home on the model of an old farmhouse

11 : an organism whose appearance a mimic imitates

12 : animal model

13 dialectal British : copy, image

14 obsolete : a set of plans for a building

model

verb

modeled or modelled; modeling or modelling\ ˈmäd-liŋ , ˈmä-dᵊl-iŋ

Definition of model (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to construct or fashion in imitation of a particular model modeled its constitution on that of the U.S.

2a : to shape or fashion in a plastic material modeling figures from clay

b : to produce a representation or simulation (see simulation sense 3a) of using a computer to model a problem

3 : to display by wearing, using, or posing with modeled gowns

4 : to plan or form after a pattern : shape legislative institutions primarily modeled on the English pattern

5 archaic : to make into an organization (such as an army, government, or parish)

intransitive verb

1 : to work or act as a fashion or art model Each contestant modeled in front of the judges.

2 : to design or imitate forms : make a pattern The students are modeling in clay.

model

adjective

Definition of model (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : serving as or capable of serving as a pattern a model student

2 : being a usually miniature representation of something a model airplane

Other Words from model Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about model

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Choose the Right Synonym for model

Noun

model, example, pattern, exemplar, ideal mean someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation. model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation. a decor that is a model of good taste example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning. children tend to follow the example of their parents pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype. American industry set a pattern for others to follow exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification. cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception. never found a job that matched his ideal

Examples of model in a Sentence

Noun She's building a model of the Earth for science class. a plastic model of the human heart We've improved on last year's model, making the car safer and easier to control. He bought one of the old 1965 models. We couldn't afford one of the fancy TVs and had to buy the standard model. We've developed a computer model of the economy to predict what will happen in the future. Companies are developing new business models. Verb The faces of the gods were modeled in white stone. They're modeling this year's new spring fashions. She got a job modeling shoes for a catalog company. a fashion model who has angered animal lovers by modeling fur coats Adjective Our university has a model program for training its athletes. why can't you be like your sister, who is such a well-behaved model child?

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Presently, the system operates on exploiting their services and externalizing most of the cost of this new model. — Chandran Nair, CNN, "The Covid disaster in India shows that the future is biological, not digital," 30 Apr. 2021 Glorification did occur at high speed, but it must be said that any dethronement of the quasi-royal model of patriarchal excellence was occurring in extremely slow motion. — Washington Post, "A portrait of George Washington: Ambitious, meticulous, petulant, elitist," 30 Apr. 2021 One of the chefs slated to open at the food hall, however, is more worried about the success of the food hall model in the wake of COVID-19. — Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, "Top chefs at the hotly anticipated Oakland Assembly food hall have nearly all backed out," 29 Apr. 2021 Production of the Tiguan model would be shut down May 6 and restart May 17. — William Boston, WSJ, "Global Chip Shortage Set to Worsen for Car Makers," 29 Apr. 2021 For instance, sites like Pornhub use metrics such as how often users search for a performer’s name to calculate the popularity of a model. — Noelle Perdue, Wired, "How Porn's Racist Metadata Hurts Adult Performers of Color," 28 Apr. 2021 Embraer delivered 50 of the light jets in 2020, with 590 deliveries over the lineage of the model. — Mike Espindle, Forbes, "$10 Million Phenom Takes Light-Jet Crown For Ninth Straight Year," 28 Apr. 2021 In response to the criticism, the Fieldlab team has published most of its protocols and a description of the risk model. — Jop De Vrieze, Science | AAAS, "Get your coronavirus test, join the party: Experimental mass events in the Netherlands draw fire," 27 Apr. 2021 That sense of community is part of Pacaso’s business model, says Tran, who joined the company in March. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, "For Pacaso’s CFO, a welcoming workplace is like a second home," 26 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb So algorithms are trained in image classification using millions of photos of damaged cars, of every make and model. — Aarian Marshall, Wired, "AI Comes to Car Repair, and Body Shop Owners Aren’t Happy," 13 Apr. 2021 Jackson is believed to be driving a 2015 red Toyota Prius with the license plate JIY7198 or an older black vehicle with an unknown make and model. — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, "Police search for 5-month-old taken from Forest Park," 5 Apr. 2021 This non-negotiable fee varies by make and model and is baked into the final sale price, but it's required by law to be included on every window sticker. — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, "10 Most Expensive Destination Charges," 3 Apr. 2021 The math and physics modeling from this study could be used to model precipitation on exoplanets and better understand the observations made of atmospheres on these alien worlds. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "What alien raindrops on other planets have in common with rain on Earth," 13 Apr. 2021 The ability of quantum computers to simulate interactions could help model pathogens to assist in research. — Emily Bamforth, cleveland, "What is quantum computing and what could it mean for Cleveland?," 4 Apr. 2021 California’s energy and environmental agencies did model scenarios with stricter 100% clean electricity targets of 2030, 2035, and 2040. — Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, "California power projections underscore difficulty of Biden climate targets," 17 Mar. 2021 Styles was most recently linked to model Camille Rowe. — Neha Prakash, Marie Claire, "Harry Styles Is Maybe-Probably Dating Olivia Wilde, But More Importantly Here Are Pics of Him in a Bathrobe," 4 Jan. 2021 How did spammers get your name, mailing address, driver’s license number, VIN, make and model of your car, auto loan information, date of birth, even your photo? — Dave Lieber, Dallas News, "It’s mind-blowing how many millions of dollars Texas makes each year selling your personal data," 19 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The success to this point has been a model public-private partnership. — Rita Numerof, Forbes, "Science: Our Covid-19 Savior, And Manufacturers’ Key To Future Vaccine Success," 28 Apr. 2021 Its fine shreds are Easter canon, often colored green to mimic blades of grass for decorating candies or for a model lawn to display dyed eggs. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "An Easter feast as tribute to the best of spring," 1 Apr. 2021 One of the orders directed the Justice Department to publish model red flag legislation for states that want to enact such policy. — Justin L. Mack, The Indianapolis Star, "Indiana's red flag law didn't stop Brandon Scott Hole from killing 8 people," 18 Apr. 2021 Its fine shreds are Easter canon, often colored green to mimic blades of grass for decorating candies or for a model lawn to display dyed eggs. — Los Angeles Times, "An Easter feast as tribute to the best of spring," 25 Mar. 2021 Economists and data analysts at the OECD ran the numbers on ARP and found that its model American recipient family—a couple in Detroit with two children under 7-years-old—would see a much needed, but modest, 5% bump in disposable income. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "The U.S. will spend billions in stimulus to tackle child poverty—still puny by global standards," 16 Mar. 2021 On television, commentators stood over model nuclear reactors, explaining what might be happening, without really knowing. — Washington Post, "The Fukushima tsunami 10 years later: A correspondent recounts the day that changed Japan," 10 Mar. 2021 One display presented a model African village, with west Africans on display as curios. — Yosola Olorunshola, Quartz, "How the West African Students Union drove the anti-colonial agenda in 20th century London," 6 Mar. 2021 Our invisibility allows the media and the state to shape our narrative with stereotypes like the model minority myth and keeps us comfortable until a scapegoat is needed. — Julie Ae Kim, Harper's BAZAAR, "Political Solidarity Is A Solution to Attacks Against Asian Americans," 4 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'model.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

4 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Model.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/model. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for model

model

noun

English Language Learners Definition of model

(Entry 1 of 3)

: a usually small copy of something

: a particular type or version of a product (such as a car or computer)

: a set of ideas and numbers that describe the past, present, or future state of something (such as an economy or a business)

model

verb

English Language Learners Definition of model (Entry 2 of 3)

: to design (something) so that it is similar to something else

: to make a small copy of (something) : to create a model of (something)

: to make something by forming or shaping clay or some other material

model

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of model (Entry 3 of 3)

: deserving to be copied by others : very good or excellent

—used to describe something that is a small copy of something larger

See the full definition for model in the English Language Learners Dictionary

model

noun

mod·el | \ ˈmä-dᵊl

Kids Definition of model

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a small but exact copy of a thing

2 : a pattern or figure of something to be made

3 : a person who sets a good example Their daughter is a model of politeness.

4 : a person who poses for an artist or photographer

5 : a person who wears and displays garments that are for sale

6 : a special type of a product Our car is a recent model.

model

adjective

Kids Definition of model (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : worthy of being imitated a model student

2 : being a miniature copy a model airplane

model

verb

modeled or modelled; modeling or modelling

Kids Definition of model (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : to plan or shape after a pattern This sports car is modeled on a racing car.

2 : to make a model of He learned how to model a dog in clay.

3 : to act or serve as a model She was asked to model for an artist.

Choose the Right Synonym for model

Noun

model, example, and ideal mean something that serves as guidance or imitation. model is used for a thing or person very worthy of imitation. That school system can be a model for the whole state. example usually means that the person, act, or conduct is likely to be copied, even though this may not always be a good thing. Parents are examples for their children. ideal is used for something, either real or imagined, considered to be the best of its kind that can exist. She is the ideal of beauty.

model

noun

mod·el | \ ˈmäd-ᵊl

Medical Definition of model

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a pattern of something to be made : a cast of a tooth or oral cavity

2 : something (as a similar object or a construct) used to help visualize or explore something else (as the living human body) that cannot be directly observed or experimented on — see animal model

3 : a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs

model

transitive verb