painting

American  

[peyn-ting] / ˈpeɪn tɪŋ /

noun

1. a picture or design executed in paints.

2. the act, art, or work of a person who paints.

3. the works of art painted painted in a particular manner, place, or period.

   a book on Flemish painting.

4. an instance of covering a surface with paint.

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painting British  

/ ˈpeɪntɪŋ /

noun

1. the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition

2. a composition or picture made in this way

3. the act of applying paint to a surface with a brush

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Etymology

Origin of painting

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; paint, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The occasional opportunity here for comparison between painting and drawing is welcome, but the works on paper need no justification.

From The Wall Street Journal

I go, “That’s not a painting from the 1930s. Somebody painted it much later.”

From Los Angeles Times

Beyond paintings, objects with unique back stories including dinosaur bones and sports memorabilia also saw feverish bidding.

From The Wall Street Journal

"In one way it toughened me. But I would have preferred a normal childhood, with friends, with joy," he said, his room decorated with a large painting of his hometown.

From Barron's

The product is like a large pointillist painting the reader is expected to complete.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• art
• canvas
• composition
• depiction
• landscape
• mural
• oil painting
• picture
• portrait
• sketch