action figure

Meaning

An action figure is a small plastic toy model of a character from a movie, TV show, comic book, or video game. Unlike regular dolls, they are usually poseable and represent characters known for action, like superheroes or soldiers. They are popular among both children for play and adults as collectibles.

Examples

• He has a huge collection of vintage Star Wars action figures on his shelf.

  He has a huge collection of vintage Star Wars action figures on his shelf.

• My younger brother loves playing with his Spider-Man action figure.

  My younger brother loves playing with his Spider-Man action figure.

• Some rare action figures can be sold for thousands of dollars if they are still in their original boxes.

  Some rare action figures can be sold for thousands of dollars if they are still in their original boxes.

• Do you want to go to the toy store and look at the new Marvel action figures?

  Do you want to go to the toy store and look at the new Marvel action figures?

• She bought an action figure of her favorite anime character at the convention.

  She bought an action figure of her favorite anime character at the convention.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I bought a new action doll for my son.

  ✓ I bought a new action figure for my son.

  While it is technically a doll, native speakers almost never call them 'action dolls.' The standard term is always 'action figure.'

• ✗ He collects movie actors.

  ✓ He collects action figures of movie characters.

  You collect the toy representation (action figure), not the actual physical actor.

Related Expressions

Practice

• He keeps his favorite Batman ___ on his desk at work.

  💡 A small plastic toy of a character.

  Show answer

  action figure

• Don't open that box; it's a rare ___ from the 1980s.

  💡 A poseable character toy.

  Show answer

  action figure