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stick figure

stick figure

8 2.6
A very simple drawing of a person using a circle for the head and lines for body, arms and legs
  • noun
  • /stɪk ˈfɪɡjər/
translation icon : muñeco de palitos
  • The potential for learning is greatly increased when students generate both summary sentences and stick figures.
  • stick figure motion

They're just shadows of puppets or stick figures or whatever it is.

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Examples

  • I can barely draw a stick figure.

  • With concentration, Gary drew a stick figure with trembly limbs.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • A we all learn how to draw a stick figure when we're two, right?

  • I mean, just really simple stick figures is great.

  • Four years ago she was drawing stick figures.

  • And so I drew stick figures in paint.

  • At the top was a stick figure of a man with a briefcase in his left hand.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Goodbye arrows, and hello stick figures that speak to our student-centered approach.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In yet another variation, students substitute simple stick figures for the summary sentences.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In art class, we practiced drawing a stick figure to represent a person in our scenes.

Synonyms

stickman
vsstick figure
3.9

A simple drawing of a person made with lines and a circle for the head

includes simple animals as well as humans in the same line style

How Detailed

portrait
96 4.0
drawing
184 1.0
stick figure
8 2.6

Surface Forms

stick figure singular
stick figures plural

Morphology

stick + figure

The meaning 'a simple drawing of a person made of lines' is directly derivable from combining 'stick' (a thin rod/line) and 'figure' (a shape or person): it denotes a figure represented by stick-like lines. This noun–noun compound is compositionally transparent and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Stick figure The word stick figure comes from the way a person is drawn: a circle for the head and straight lines for the body and arms, looking like thin sticks that form a simple figure. So, it now means 'a very simple drawing of a person or animal'.