idol Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a material effigy that is worshipped
god; graven image.
- thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
- money was his god
noun someone who is adored blindly and excessively
matinee idol.
noun an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept
beau ideal; paragon; perfection.

OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. , fr. that which is seen, the form, shape, figure, fr. to see. See Wit, and cf. Eidolon.

An image or representation of anything. Obs.
Do her adore with sacred reverence, As th' idol of her maker's great magnificence. Spenser.
An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an object of worship; a similitude of a false god.
That they should not worship devils, and idols of gold. Rev. ix. 20.
That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored.
The soldier's god and people's idol. Denham.
A false notion or conception; a fallacy. Bacon.
The idols of preconceived opinion. Coleridge.