paint
Americannoun
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a substance composed of solid coloring matter suspended in a liquid medium and applied as a protective or decorative coating to various surfaces, or to canvas or other materials in producing a work of art.
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an application of this.
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the dried surface pigment.
Don't scuff the paint.
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the solid coloring matter alone; pigment.
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facial cosmetics, especially lipstick, rouge, etc., designed to heighten natural color.
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Chiefly Western U.S. a pied, calico, or spotted horse or pony; pinto.
verb (used with object)
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to coat, cover, or decorate (something) with paint.
to paint a fence.
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to produce (a picture, design, etc.) in paint.
to paint a portrait.
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to represent in paint, as in oils, tempera, or watercolor.
to paint an actress as the Muse of tragedy.
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to depict as if by painting; describe vividly in words.
The ads painted the resort as a winter wonderland.
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to color by or as if by painting.
Sunset painted the clouds pink.
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to apply a substance to, as a liquid medicine or a cosmetic.
to paint a cut with iodine.
verb (used without object)
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to coat or cover anything with paint.
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to engage in painting as an art.
She has begun to paint in her spare time.
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to put on or use facial cosmetics.
idioms
noun
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a substance used for decorating or protecting a surface, esp a mixture consisting of a solid pigment suspended in a liquid, that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard coating
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a dry film of paint on a surface
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the solid pigment of a paint before it is suspended in liquid
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informal face make-up, such as rouge
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short for greasepaint
verb
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to make (a picture) of (a figure, landscape, etc) with paint applied to a surface such as canvas
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to coat (a surface) with paint, as in decorating
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(tr) to apply (liquid) onto (a surface)
her mother painted the cut with antiseptic
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(tr) to apply make-up onto (the face, lips, etc)
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(tr) to describe vividly in words
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informal to celebrate uninhibitedly; go on a spree
Other Word Forms
- outpaint verb (used with object)
- paintable adjective
- paintless adjective
- painty adjective
Etymology
Origin of paint
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English peinten (verb), from Old French peint “painted,” past participle of peindre “to paint,” from Latin pingere; picture
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.
Its defense followed suit, with Nebraska piling up points in the paint at will.
From Los Angeles Times
The two events offered some of the most captivating work in recent memory, from paintings that integrate AI to head-spinning ceramic sculptures.
The phrase “Abstract Expressionist” conjures up hard-drinking, chain-smoking men arguing loudly in the male-dominated enclaves of the Cedar Tavern and the Club about what paintings can and cannot be.
The design is sleek and simple, with a pink-and-white ombré paint job, the company’s name printed in lowercase, and a keypad for loading and unloading the cargo area.
From Los Angeles Times
Jessie Homer French has been painting folk-inflected scenes of environmental catastrophe for decades, but her consistent message and style remain bracingly fresh in the presentation by Various Small Fires.
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.
