What does "dolly" mean?
A doll.
Dolly
/ˈdɑli/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A doll.
- Grammar: dolly is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: doll, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, amytal.
- Useful contrasts: hoist, lift, stationary.
- Usage evidence: "I am very sorry," repeated Anne firmly, "but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition."
How to use "dolly"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dolly" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dolly" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dolly" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dolly" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dolly" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "doll" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dolly", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A doll. childish, colloquial
"‘He pushed one of my dolly’s eyes in,’ sobbed Dora, hugging her dolly as she replied."
- 2 An offering of fruit or flowers. India
"In some parts of India the dolly has grown into an extravagance consisting sometimes of bushels of fruit, nuts, and confectionery, with bottles of champagne and liqueurs."
- 3 Ellipsis of Dolly Parton. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 4 a small replica of a person; used as a toy wordnet
- 5 A roughly cylindrical wooden object used as a base when molding pie crust.
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 Ellipsis of Dolly Varden trout. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Dolly Varden is the staple catch. To a point that, after two days, we find ourselves feeling guilty trying to shake them free from our fly or giving plenty of slack in the hope that another Dolly finds early freedom. […] Often the biggest challenge of hooking a big trout is avoiding Dollies."
- 7 conveyance consisting of a wheeled platform for moving heavy objects wordnet
- 8 A contrivance for stirring:; A disc with downward legs and a vertical handle, used for agitating laundry.
"LAUNDRY. 1 Dolly tub and pegs 2 Mangle 3 Washing machine"
- 9 conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted wordnet
- 10 A contrivance for stirring:; A device turned on a vertical axis by a handle or a winch, giving a circular motion to ore being washed.
"The dolly tub or rinsing bucket, fig. 630., has an upright shaft which bears the vane or dolly a b, turned by the winch handle."
- 11 A tool with an indented head for shaping the head of a rivet.
"A, is the steam or air cylinder for forcing the dolly B, hard against the rivet head while rivetting: when used for making rivets the dolly B, is unshipped, and the rivet heading apparatus substituted."
- 12 In pile driving, a block interposed between the head of the pile and the ram of the driver.
- 13 A small truck with a single wide roller used for moving heavy beams, columns, etc., in bridge building.
- 14 A small truck without means of steering, to be slipped under a load.
- 15 An unpowered vehicle (trailer) designed for connection to a tractor unit, truck or prime mover vehicle, with strong traction power.
- 16 A compact, narrow-gauge locomotive used for moving construction trains, switching, etc.
- 17 A specialized piece of film equipment resembling a little cart on which a camera is mounted.
- 18 A young woman, especially one who is frivolous or vapid. slang
"But really you get your money from selling things — that's your line, and your Dad's isn't it? Using sexy dollies to con money out of people who've had to work for it. Well my daughter's not just a sugar-plum fairy to titillate men's fantasies, you know."
- 19 A fashionable young woman, one who follows the latest music or clothing fashions. UK, dated, slang
"Spotlight on the other hand is remarkable for prices and skirt lengths to suit the teenyboppers[…] Appeal: to a lunchtime horde of date-going dollies who cannot really afford another dress."
- 20 A ball hit by a batsman such that it goes gently to a fielder for a simple catch. dated
- 21 A marker placed on the winning number by the dealer at roulette.
- 22 Ellipsis of dolly shop. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"There’s 2d. a week to pay for 1s. at a dolly, and perhaps an old rug left for it; if it’s very hard weather, the rug must be taken at night time, or we are starved with the cold. It sometimes has to be put into the dolly again next morning, and then there’s 2d. to pay for it for the day."
- 23 An old gambling device, found in dolly shops, with the figure of an old man or "dolly", and a spiral hole down which a dropped marble would proceed to one of a set of numbered holes. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To hit a dolly. transitive
- 2 To move (an object) using a dolly. transitive
- 3 To move a camera (usually toward or away from its subject) using a dolly. intransitive
- 4 To wash (laundry) in a tub using the stirring device called a dolly. transitive
- 5 To beat (red-hot metal) with a hammer. transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To crush ore with a dolly. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Pretty; attractive. Polari
"Divine. Sitting, sipping a tiny drinkette, vadaïng the great butch omis and dolly little palones trolling by, or disporting yourself on the sable plage getting your lallies all bronzed - your riah getting bleached by the soleil."
- 2 Left-handed (also dolly-handed, dolly-pawed, dolly-posh). Sheffield, Yorkshire, especially
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given names Dorothy, Dolores, or Doris.
"Her name is Dorothy, though everyone has always called her Dolly. I do not know why, for there is nothing doll-like about her. She is a large, vigorous woman with the broad face and heavy hair of a tinker's wife."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
""I am very sorry," repeated Anne firmly, "but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dolly"?
Common synonyms include: doll, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, amytal, amytal pill, analgesic.
How do you use "dolly" in a sentence?
"I am very sorry," repeated Anne firmly, "but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition."
How do you pronounce "dolly"?
Pronounced /ˈdɑli/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From doll + -y, from the given name Dorothy, originally applied either to a woman or female pet or to a children's toy, and expanded to refer to various types of contrivances or devices. The Online Etymology Dictionary, while considering the reason for applying it to such devices unobvious, compares how the names jack, jenny and jimmy are also applied to devices.
Etymology 2
Disputed. Most scholars derive the term from doll + -y, as Etymology 1, above. Linguist Ian Hancock, however, suggests derivation from Italian dolce (“sweet”).
Etymology 3
From Hindi डाली (ḍālī).