Meaning & use
statues
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“statues” is a form of “statue”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
carved or molded figures of people or animals, usually made of stone, metal, or wood
Grammar: This is the plural form; use a statue for one figure.
Patterns
- a row of statues
- statues of someone
- put up statues
The park is full of statues of famous writers.
They cleaned the statues in the square before the festival.
Several statues were damaged in the storm.
Word forms
| singular | statue |
|---|
Common combinations
- statues of
- There are statues of lions at the entrance to the museum.
- bronze statues
- The garden is decorated with bronze statues.
- a row of statues
- A row of statues lines the path to the palace.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sculptures
- Sculptures can be any three-dimensional art, while statues usually show a person or animal.
- figures
- Figures is a more general word for shapes of people or animals, including small ones.
Word family
- statue noun
- one carved or molded figure
- statuesque adjective
- tall and graceful, like a statue
- statuary noun
- statues as a group, or the art of making them
Commonly confused: statues or status? statues or statute?
statues vs status
Status means a person's rank or situation, and it is spelled with -us, not -ues.
statues vs statute
A statute is a written law; statues are works of art.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct word?
Choose one answer.
Statues is the plural of statue, so it fits after 'many'. Status and statute are different words, and statue is singular, so it cannot follow 'many'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “statues”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.