mannequin

noun

man·​ne·​quin ˈma-ni-kən How to pronounce mannequin (audio)
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

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 Berkeley police say Cawthon threw a metal mannequin at two of the employees, striking them both, along with a metal tape dispenser and a plastic case. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Its mannequins are dressed head to toe in its trademark denim. Jordyn Holman, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 She was best known to '80s kids as Jodie on the TV show Today's Special, about a department store mannequin who comes to life after closing time. Ew Staff, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2024 Rapp then subsequently posted the cover art for the new single, showing the pair baring it all in a room filled with plastic mannequins. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 5 Jan. 2024 Some think Kate McCallister (Catherine O'Hara) was a fashion designer due to the presence of mannequins in the house. Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 20 Dec. 2023 On the opposite corner of the room were 10 mannequins dressed like Margot Robbie as Barbie—actual pieces from the press tour that were hauled in for the evening to be viewed IRL. Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2024 Even the faceless mannequins seemed to be having fun in Apfel’s creations; there was so much humor in her point of view. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 The initial idea was to showcase her costume jewelry alone, but the museum later asked Apfel to dip into her own wardrobe to style the mannequins that the jewelry would adorn. Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mannequin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Dutch mannekijn little man — more at manikin

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mannequin was in 1730

Dictionary Entries Near mannequin

Cite this Entry

“Mannequin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mannequin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mannequin

noun
man·​ne·​quin ˈman-i-kən How to pronounce mannequin (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on mannequin

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