1.  A person whom you wish to emulate, as in “He is my idol.”

2.  An object anciently believed to be a deity. In modern times, this has changed to the concept that the idol represents the deity or the deity’s power. A person who worships an idol is called an “Idolater.” There are proscriptions against idol worship in the Bible. Although this is usually followed by believers based on religious concepts, it has been pointed out that since the Bible describes the creation of a religion, it may have simply been based on the concept of separating biblical religion from other faiths.

3.  When there is a belief that deity is in everything, followers may worship idols as being manifestations of the divine. An example of this is found in Tantra and Hinduism where deity is said to fill idols (after being invoked into them), known as murtis, and are fit to be worshiped.