poster child

noun

1

: a child who has a disease and is pictured in posters to solicit funds for combating the disease

2

: a person having a public image that is identified with something (such as a cause)

Examples of poster child in a Sentence

She was a stirring speaker and activist and soon became the poster child of the antiwar movement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Not so long ago, eggs were the poster child for runaway grocery bills. —Scott Horsley, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026

The poster child for ecotourism since the 1990s, Costa Rica attracts millions of visitors annually thanks to its rich biodiversity, laidback beach culture, and pura vida (pure life) vibes. —Jen Murphy, Outside, 10 Mar. 2026

Clavicular is the poster child—though by no means the most extreme representative—of the looksmaxxing movement, the latest permutation of an ideology developed by too online misogynist misanthropes in the twenty-tens. —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026

Chad Baker-Mazara is the poster child for 2026 college athletics. —Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for poster child

• domiciled
• reconciled
• undefiled
• beguiled
• brainchild
• compiled
• defiled
• exiled
• grandchild
• profiled
• refiled
• reviled