Definition of 'idol'
Word forms: idols
1. countable noun
If you refer to someone such as a movie, pop, or sports star as an idol, you mean that they are greatly admired or loved by their fans.
2. countable noun
An idol is a statue or other object that is worshipped by people who believe that it is a
god.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
idol in American English
noun
1.
an image of a god, used as an object or instrument of worship
3.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME idole < OFr < L idolum, an image, form, specter, apparition (in LL(Ec), idol) < Gr eidōlon, an image, phantom (in LGr(Ec), idol) < eidos, form: see -oidWord Frequency
idol in American English
(ˈaidl)
noun
1.
an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship
is addressed
2. Bible
a.
an image of a deity other than God
b.
the deity itself
3.
Madame Curie had been her childhood idol
6.
a false conception or notion; fallacy
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1200–50; ME ‹ LL īdōlum ‹ Gk eídōlon image, idol, deriv. of eîdos shape, form]Word Frequency
idol in British English
noun
1.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Late Latin īdōlum, from Latin: image, from Greek eidōlon, from eidos shape, form
Examples of 'idol' in a sentence
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idol
British English: idol
NOUN /ˈaɪdəl/
An idol is a famous person who is greatly admired or loved.
A great cheer went up from the crowd as they caught sight of their idol.
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Related terms of
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Source
Definition of idol from the Collins English Dictionary
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