paint
Americannoun
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paints
plural
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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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paints,
present (3rd person singular)
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painted,
past participle, past
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painting
present participle
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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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paints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
painted,
past participle, past
-
painting
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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paintsimple
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paintssimple
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have paintedperfect
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has paintedperfect
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am paintingprogressive
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are paintingprogressive
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is paintingprogressive
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have been paintingperfect progressive
-
has been paintingperfect progressive
Past
-
paintedsimple
-
had paintedperfect
-
was paintingprogressive
-
were paintingprogressive
-
had been paintingperfect progressive
Future
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; see picture
Explanation
Paint is a liquid, colored substance you can use to decorate or protect a surface. If you want your bedroom walls to be bright purple, you need to buy some purple paint. Artists use paint to create landscapes, portraits, and other styles of paintings, and house painters use paint to coat and protect the wood siding on houses. When you paint, you make a painting, or cover something with paint: "First I'm going to paint your portrait, and after you paint that wall in your kitchen, we can hang it there." When someone "paints the town red," they don't literally paint anything — they just go on a celebratory spree.
Vocabulary lists containing paint
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:
The cameras compile license plate numbers and other identifying information, including make, model, paint color, dents and bumper stickers.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Volunteers offered to give the empty properties a clean and a lick of paint, to make them more attractive to let.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Beata de la Sablonière liked art, or at least she enlisted her painter cousin to paint her relatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
They paint a picture of a California covered in oaks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Just days before Maggie left for her tutor’s home, Elisha arranged for an artist to paint her portrait.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
On a street in southern Israel, a graffiti artist paints a mural depicting the filmmakers behind the award-winning documentary "NAZA".
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Youth Scotland, citing research by Unison,, external paints a similar picture.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
A man paints the scene from the tunnel view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Reviewing the earlier iteration, our critic said the show paints “Moses as more complicated than the cheerful, childlike images her name conjures and as a legitimizer of self-taught art.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Bella had a supply of fabric paints, and within two hours, we had painted a T-shirt that looked like a tuxedo with a red bow tie.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
The “2026 Postseason” decals had been freshly painted up the baselines that afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The new court has been put in but not finished as school colors have yet to be painted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
In Cornwall, the red admiral took second spot, followed by the painted lady.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Yet when Levine first stared at her in 2020, he had no idea who had painted her or who the woman even was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
It was a map, painted in exquisitely small brushstrokes on thick vellum.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
From his perch in the Coliseum press box, Arbogast is painting the scene of the play when Moore was injured.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The cover for his debut solo studio album, “Indigo,” depicts Hyong-keun’s 1972 painting “Blue,” and the album’s lead track, “Yun,” a collaboration with Erykah Badu, kicks off with recorded dialogue from the artist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
A $2 painting of a leopard dangling from a branch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
They also spruced up the streets, picking litter, weeding, and painting bins.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
At the back of the property, several girls her age seem to be using the wooden stage for a painting project.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
