- present participle of paint.
noun
-
the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition
-
a composition or picture made in this way
-
the act of applying paint to a surface with a brush
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of painting
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at paint, -ing 1
Explanation
If you want to study painting, go to art school. If that doesn’t work out, maybe you can get a job painting houses. Then you can paint a house purple or paint a picture, which is called a painting. Slapping a coat of paint on your apartment walls is painting, but so is creating a masterpiece like Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or maybe even C.M. Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker.” The picture that results from your painting experiments is also called a painting. The Latin root of painting, pingere, means "to paint," but also "to stain, embroider, or tattoo."
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:
This year’s celebration will honor Pedro Infante and offer a classic car cruise, face painting, Aztec blessing and procession, Ballet Folklorico, mariachi music, and a communal ofrenda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Families can take part in Indigenous Mexican ribbon braiding with Ponte Your Monos, sugar skull decorating with Kalaveritas Y Mas, face painting with Doodling Faces, and paper weaving with Ana Reyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Wood spent time painting Impressionist landscapes in France in the 1920s, but his work didn’t attract much notice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
A painting by Arnon's daughter titled "my dad's feelings"
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
She finished looking and moved on to the next painting.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
An exhibition of 60 paintings from the 1500s to the present brings together work by European, Puerto Rican and other American artists from the titular museum, including Frederic Leighton’s “Flaming June.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Though the central Italian city is best known for its Renaissance paintings, the Frick Collection presents an astonishing collection of Sienese bronzes from the same period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The work will be revealed to the public in a new exhibition, Local Royalty, alongside paintings by other royal artists of pub, cafe and takeaway owners.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Reggie Burrows Hodges is only a little worried that the bass will shake his paintings off the gallery walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
He had seen so many paintings of edelweiss, that cheerful white flower that dots the Alps each spring, that he sometimes found himself doodling pictures in the margins of his train tickets.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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