airbrush
Americannoun
-
airbrushes
plural
verb (used with object)
-
airbrushes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
airbrushed,
past participle, past
-
airbrushing
present participle
-
to paint or decorate, using an airbrush.
to airbrush murals; to airbrush silk kimonos.
-
to remove or alter by or as by means of an airbrush.
to airbrush facial lines from a photograph.
-
to prettify or sanitize.
airbrushed versions of modern history.
noun
verb
-
to paint or varnish (something) by using an airbrush
-
to improve the image of (a person or thing) by concealing defects beneath a bland exterior
an airbrushed version of the government's record
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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airbrushsimple
-
airbrushessimple
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have airbrushedperfect
-
has airbrushedperfect
-
am airbrushingprogressive
-
are airbrushingprogressive
-
is airbrushingprogressive
-
have been airbrushingperfect progressive
-
has been airbrushingperfect progressive
Past
-
airbrushedsimple
-
had airbrushedperfect
-
was airbrushingprogressive
-
were airbrushingprogressive
-
had been airbrushingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of airbrush
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:
On the emerging side of the artistic spectrum is Andrew J. Park, whose airbrush paintings at Anthony Gallery blend surrealism, nostalgia and outdated technology with cutting-edge digital advances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
"We cannot airbrush French Jews out of the republic's family photo".
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
Another is Squid, a brand “inspired by nature” that transforms garments through upcycling, airbrush and screen printing into one-of-a-kind works of art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
Working in both oil and acrylic, she has experimented with different ways of applying and adjusting paint, sometimes using a silicone dish sponge, other times creatively wielding an airbrush.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
DUP assembly member Emma Little-Pengelly said the bill "plays into the hands of those who want to airbrush the past".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2023
He borrowed airbrushes from his fellow students, who would also give him their pencil stubs instead of tossing them out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
The multiplayer-focused game has players dousing maps with a variety of weaponized painting tools, ranging from paint rollers to airbrushes.
From The Verge ● Feb. 2, 2022
But I don’t want their image of their father to be a work of posthumous fiction that airbrushes out all his other truths.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2016
The heads surround the table where Amy Johnson airbrushes skin, lips and eyes.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 4, 2014
"The danger to me of seeing everything from the '60s as a concrete monstrosity worthy of demolition is that it airbrushes out a whole period of history and architecture."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2014
Stalter dodged questions about what inspired the look, telling reporters that she and her stylist just threw it together and that her co-star Paul W Downs airbrushed her himself.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
But some industry professionals said its use of AI went too far, making graphics feel airbrushed and hollow.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Sophie and Arpad have airbrushed their problematic pasts from their official back stories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
So she kept making them, encouraged by the rave reviews: A chocolate cake for Escoto’s 24th birthday, airbrushed in psychedelic blue and green and embellished with gummy bears.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
A girl in a gorgeous gold retro dress, blue braids, and makeup that looked airbrushed on walked by, proving her point.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
He also started diligently airbrushing or painting over photographs of the deceased: “I paint out all the abrasions, cuts and bruises, and open the eyes,” he explained, essentially resurrecting a likeness of the victim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Enrika said these brands sometimes often use tactics in campaigns to virtue-signal being inclusive - such as highlighting stretch marks on plus-sized models, whilst airbrushing them on others.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2025
It’s a calculated choice, placing the memoir in the tradition of books noted for their honesty, rather than their airbrushing of history.
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023
Finishing the prosthetics consisted of airbrushing a moody array of purples, blacks and bruise-like tones based on the concept art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
Yet destroying all those objects, which smacks of airbrushing history, poses its own risk.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2022
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
