as in doll
a small figure often of a human being used especially as a child's plaything
a collection of action figures of his favorite superheroes
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Recent Examples of action figure
Inevitably, in a film where no wheel really goes unreinvented, the earnestly nerdy Daniel, who collects fantasy action figures and even puts them on his desk, falls under their spell.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Initially, Mattel released eight action figures, including He-Man, Beast Man, Teela, Skeletor and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Following the acclaim of his first two mixtapes, Scott recalls wanting to release his debut album as an action figure that included a USB stick.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
Its treatment of the media-world subplot is both too little and too much, leaving Tony defined mainly as an action figure.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for action figure
Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Initially, Mattel released eight action figures, including He-Man, Beast Man, Teela, Skeletor and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
Following the acclaim of his first two mixtapes, Scott recalls wanting to release his debut album as an action figure that included a USB stick.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
Its treatment of the media-world subplot is both too little and too much, leaving Tony defined mainly as an action figure.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for action figure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for action figure
Noun
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Up next, Johnstone will direct the live-action Monster High movie, based on Mattel’s doll line, for the company, as well as Universal Pictures and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
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The group’s notebooks read like fragments of fairy tales or magical realism—years of stories within stories within stories, like Russian nesting dolls.—
Shannon Taggart,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The screaming hamster is its own puppet.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2026
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Among the missing are Angus the bassist, Phyllis the mail-delivering puppet, Holstein, who was holding an intricate saxophone prop, and Dumont, who had a television stand.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Action figure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/action%20figure. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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