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I'm not a figurehead for anything. I was a single mom with two kids. What else was I going to do? It was either be in a band or be a waitress.
Chrissie Hynde

Meaning of "figurehead" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF FIGUREHEAD

figurehead  [ˈfɪɡəˌhɛd] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FIGUREHEAD

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Figurehead is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES FIGUREHEAD MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Figurehead

In politics, a figurehead is a person who holds de jure an important title or office yet de facto executes little actual power, most commonly limited by convention rather than law. The metaphor derives from the carved figurehead at the prow of a sailing ship. Other figureheads are the Emperor Akihito of Japan, or presidents in some parliamentary republics, such as the President of India, President of Israel, President of Bangladesh, President of Greece, President of Germany, President of Pakistan, and the President of the People's Republic of China. While the authority of a figurehead is in practice generally symbolic or ceremonial, public opinion, respect for the office or the office holder and access to high levels of government can give them significant influence on events. In those systems of government where the head of state is in practice a figurehead, they are also generally the titular commanders in chief of the nation's defence forces. Sometimes a figurehead can be exploited in times of emergency.

Definition of figurehead in the English dictionary

The definition of figurehead in the dictionary is a person nominally having a prominent position, but no real authority. Other definition of figurehead is a carved bust or full-length figure at the upper end of the stems of some sailing vessels.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH FIGUREHEAD


airhead
ˈɛəˌhɛd
barehead
ˈbɛəˌhɛd
chowderhead
ˈtʃaʊdəˌhɛd
copperhead
ˈkɒpəˌhɛd
dunderhead
ˈdʌndəˌhɛd
gearhead
ˈɡɪəˌhɛd
hammerhead
ˈhæməˌhɛd
leatherhead
ˈlɛðəˌhɛd
letterhead
ˈlɛtəˌhɛd
loggerhead
ˈlɒɡəˌhɛd
niggerhead
ˈnɪɡəˌhɛd
overhead
ˈəʊvəˌhɛd
redhead
ˈrɛdˌhɛd
rudderhead
ˈrʌdəˌhɛd
spearhead
ˈspɪəˌhɛd
squarehead
ˈskwɛəˌhɛd
stairhead
ˈstɛəˌhɛd
Stourhead
ˈstaʊəˌhɛd
thunderhead
ˈθʌndəˌhɛd
timberhead
ˈtɪmbəˌhɛd

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE FIGUREHEAD

figure
figure eight
figure of eight
figure of fun
figure of merit
figure of speech
figure on
figure out
figure skater
figure skating
figure-conscious
figure-ground phenomenon
figure-hugging
figure-skate
figured
figured bass
figuredly
figureless
figurer
figurework

WORDS THAT END LIKE FIGUREHEAD

ahead
beetlehead
behead
bluehead
bobblehead
bonehead
bridgehead
bubblehead
bufflehead
chucklehead
cokehead
dopehead
fiddlehead
forehead
juicehead
knucklehead
muddlehead
snakehead
sorehead
turtlehead
Whitehead

Synonyms and antonyms of figurehead in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «FIGUREHEAD»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «figurehead» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of figurehead

Translation of «figurehead» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF FIGUREHEAD

Find out the translation of figurehead to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of figurehead from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «figurehead» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

傀儡
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

figura decorativa
570 millions of speakers

English

figurehead
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

कल्पित
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

صوري
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

номинальный
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

testa de ferro
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

figurehead
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

figure de proue
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Kepala
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Galionsfigur
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

名目上の最高責任者
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

명목상 대표
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Angka
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

bung xung
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

பிரமுகராக
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

आकृती
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kukla
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

prestanome
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Galion
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

номінальний
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

marionetă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ξόανο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

boegbeeld
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

figure
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

gallionsfigur
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of figurehead

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FIGUREHEAD»

The term «figurehead» is regularly used and occupies the 85.389 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
60
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «figurehead» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of figurehead
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «figurehead».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «FIGUREHEAD» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «figurehead» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «figurehead» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about figurehead

EXAMPLES

8 QUOTES WITH «FIGUREHEAD»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word figurehead.
1
Pam Bondi
Running for attorney general troubled me. Because I was worried I would simply become just a figurehead and that's not me.
2
Chrissie Hynde
I'm not a figurehead for anything. I was a single mom with two kids. What else was I going to do? It was either be in a band or be a waitress.
3
Eugene Jarecki
The big lesson of Reagan is: To think that he was some sort of simple figurehead and didn't do the thinking and simply read a script in front of him woefully underestimates him. Ronald Reagan was an extremely intelligent person with a real V8 engine under his hood.
4
Leonard Maltin
While it was occasionally done here or there, nobody else had a figurehead like Walt doing it. Jack Warner wasn't on TV. Walt was the boss, but he had a real public profile and he used it to his advantage. And he became a household face.
5
Ray Manzarek
The Doors were successful. It was Jim Morrison as the centre and the figure and the spokesman, the figurehead, but we were all into the same thing. That's why we were a band.
6
Shaquille O'Neal
And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is a famous basketball player. I want to really learn the business.
7
David Prowse
So I went to George and told him I had the opportunity to become the figurehead of a government safety campaign, and he agreed to give me the week off and reschedule shooting!
8
Peter York
Eponymous brands aren't that popular with analysts and investors now. You can only take an eponymous brand with a living figurehead so far, they argue. What happens when they grow old and die? What happens when they misbehave and go seriously off-brand?

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FIGUREHEAD»

Discover the use of figurehead in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to figurehead and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Figurehead
In this gripping novel, Patrick Allington takes readers deep into the world of power politics and agents of influence.
Patrick Allington, 2009
2
The Figurehead
Attorney Bill Montfort wins a lottery and decides to run for political office as a sacrificial lamb candidate. He rises rapidly in politics, and figures out that there is a conspiracy behind his rise.
Thomas Larus, 2005
3
The Figurehead
Commissioned to create a figurehead that combines the features of two women, John eventually uncovers a sordid tale of blackmail and death as, simultaneously, he struggles to resist the pangs of unexpected love.
Bill Kirton, 2012
4
Figurehead: And Other Poems
" One of the most gifted of W. H. Auden's choices for the Yale Series of Younger Poets, Hollander has pursued the wide range and metrical brilliance of Auden's own poetry, so that this new book exhibits both a large compass of subject ...
John Hollander, 2009
5
The Figurehead
A celebration of the Northern Ireland peace agreement of 1998.
Paul Dean Coker, 2006
6
The American Governor from Figurehead to Leader: Studies in ...
Edited By Leonard D. White And Floyd W. Reeves.
Leslie Lipson, 2012
7
Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill ...
Interpersonal roles include figurehead, leader, and liaison. When managers play interpersonal roles, they use their human and communication skills as they perform management functions. Managers play the figurehead role when they ...
Robert Lussier, 2008
8
Cruising with Robert Louis Stevenson: Travel, Narrative, and ...
Fanny's description of the figurehead in her journal is written in terms that echo those of Stevenson: “From the first, I had been puzzled by a strange figure on the trader's veranda. When we were nearer I discovered it to be the figurehead of a ...
Oliver S. Buckton, 2007
9
An Introduction to Executive Compensation
These theories include class hegemony, efficiency wage, figurehead, human capital theory, marginal productivity, prospect, social comparison, and tournament theory. Class hegemony theory argues that executives share a common bond and ...
Steven Balsam, 2002
10
Old Ship Figureheads Coloring Book
An alabaster model of a ship with an ibex figurehead was found in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamen (fourteenth century B.c.), while ancient wall paintings and carvings offer further evidence that the tradition was in use far ...
John Batchelor, 2002

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FIGUREHEAD»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term figurehead is used in the context of the following news items.
1
GOP is Becoming the Party of Andrew Jackson
Though rarely regarded as part of the pantheon of conservative heroes, Jackson was the figurehead of a unique set of ideas that can and ... «Breitbart News, Jul 15»
2
Nepal Fast Facts
He eventually sets up a dictatorship by turning the monarchy into a government figurehead, establishing the hereditary rule of his family. «CNN, Jul 15»
3
Carol Megathlin: Away down south in Dixie
For the sake of argument, let's say that the symbol of this prevalent philosophy was the Playboy bunny, and its figurehead, Hugh Hefner. «Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Jul 15»
4
Ida Engberg & Adam Beyer
Techno figurehead. Reigning queen of Ibiza. Very knackered parents. Not that they're complaining. "A lot of people have this thing in their mind ... «Mixmag, Jul 15»
5
'Gajendra Chauhan Should Resign Voluntarily': Rishi Kapoor on FTII …
You need a figurehead who can advise you and tell you what is good and what is wrong. Knowledge of cinema is important. I've been in films ... «NDTV, Jul 15»
6
Open Data Institute hails “network thinking” among winners in 2015 …
Web inventor Tim Berners Lee, co-founder and figurehead of the ODI, said: “I'd like to see a linking 'gene' for open data. Making data available ... «ComputerWeekly.com, Jul 15»
7
Comedy Central shifts perceptions with quartet of black-led programs
In Wilmore, The Nightly Show has found an ideal figurehead. A cheerfully mild-mannered comedian who came of age at a time when black ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»
8
Primavera Sound 2015
I've been hard on this guy, but seeing him live helped me understand that he's attempting to be more than just a figurehead to a movement that isn't really his ... «Tiny Mix Tapes, Jul 15»
9
Letter writer: 'America the Beautiful' is under assault from within
... to act as figurehead for (president). How weird is this: the Clintons, the Bushes, Carroll Quigley and off-planet technology available for review. «Mountain Xpress, Jul 15»
10
Can pop stars still sell out if listeners have bought in?
When Tidal's figurehead, rap icon Jay Z, announced the platform's launch in March by assembling a cast of music biz one-percenters and ... «New Zealand Herald, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Figurehead [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/figurehead>. May 2024 ».
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