Meaning & use
blow up doll
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A life-size inflatable rubber or plastic figure shaped like a person, used as a sex aid.
Grammar: Countable: a blow up doll, two blow up dolls.
Patterns
- inflate a blow up doll
- a blow up doll
The shop sells novelty items, including a blow up doll.
He joked about buying a blow up doll for his bachelor party.
The inflatable figure was clearly a blow up doll, not a real person.
nouncountable
An inflatable figure used as a decoration or toy, not necessarily for sex.
Grammar: Same countable use; context makes the purpose clear.
Patterns
- a blow up doll for a party
They put a blow up doll on the roof as a prank.
The parade featured a giant blow up doll of a cartoon character.
Word forms
| plural | blow up dolls |
|---|
Common combinations
- inflatable blow up doll
- The inflatable blow up doll was packed in a small box.
- buy a blow up doll
- He was embarrassed to buy a blow up doll in person.
- blow up doll joke
- The blow up doll joke didn't go over well with the audience.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sex doll
- A broader term that can also refer to non-inflatable, realistic dolls.
- inflatable doll
- A neutral term for any inflatable human-shaped figure, not only for sex.
Word family
- blow up phrasal verb
- To fill something with air or gas.
- doll noun
- A small model of a human figure, often a child's toy.
Commonly confused: blow up doll or blow-up?
blow up doll vs blow-up
As a noun or adjective, 'blow-up' often means an enlarged photograph or an explosion, not a doll.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'blow up doll' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Blow up doll' is a noun phrase, so it fits as the subject or object. Option 1 is odd because a blow up doll is not a typical gift for a child. Options 3 and 4 use it as a verb, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blow up doll”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.