sequin
Americannoun
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sequins
plural
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a small shining disk or spangle used for ornamentation, as on clothing, accessories, or theatrical costumes.
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a former gold coin of Venice, introduced in 1284; ducat.
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a former gold coin of Malta, introduced c1535.
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a former gold coin of Turkey, introduced in 1478.
noun
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a small piece of shiny often coloured metal foil or plastic, usually round, used to decorate garments, etc
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Also called: zecchino. any of various gold coins that were formerly minted in Italy, Turkey, and Malta
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sequin
First recorded in 1575–85; from French sequin, from Italian zecchino, equivalent to zecc(a) “mint” (from Arabic sikkah “die, coin”) + -ino -ine 2
Explanation
A sequin is a flat little bead that catches the light and makes evening gowns shimmer. One little sequin is pretty, but they like to stick together. There’d be no figure skating without sequins. Sequins were originally made out of tiny metal discs, but today they're commonly made from shiny circles of plastic. The original sequins explain the name, which stems from their resemblance to coins; sequin was the 17th century name of an Italian gold coin. Today's sequins are used to decorate clothes, shoes, handbags, and anything else that needs extra sparkles.
Vocabulary lists containing sequin
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Night Diary
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Nine Stories
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nicole Kidman showed up in a red sequin dress because she “wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used in art through the years.”
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Grande, who plays the good witch Glinda, was decked out in a champagne pink sequin dress at the premiere while Erivo, who plays the wicked witch, wore a black tube grown embroidered with roses.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
Among the pieces that she had teased on social media were a sewing machine, a steamer, lamps, a “tiny side table,” a sequin romper, and a Bergdorf Goodman jacket.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
Sometimes, Lawson uses the costumes to reflect a specific part of the city, such as the vibrant pink floral sequin Valentino jacket in “Elsbeth’s Eleven.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024
El picks up a photo of her mom in a floor-length red sequin gown.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
They arrived in sequins and feather boas; or sometimes in waistcoats and ties.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO show "Girls", wore a vivid Valentino red dress made out of feathers and sequins.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
Still I feel for those in long sleeves and/or tons of sequins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Gonzalez and her two friends also hit the town in dresses adorned with sequins and feathers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Her gown was covered in sequins that winked and glimmered at the rat.
From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
