pic
1 Americannoun
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pix,
plural
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pics
plural
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a movie.
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a photograph.
noun
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the scoring of 30 points in the declaration of hands and in the play before one's opponent scores a point.
-
the bonus of 30 points won for so scoring.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pic1
First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening from picture
Origin of pic2
< French: literally, prick
Explanation
A pic is a photo or a snapshot. When you're visiting the Statue of Liberty, you might hand your camera to a stranger and ask if they'll take your pic. Use the informal pic as a slang term for picture. Your selfie-obsessed friend might insist on snapping pics of himself everywhere he goes, while your grandma might proudly show of the pics of her grandchildren she keeps in her wallet. You can also call a movie a pic. This word might sound fairly modern, but it's been around since the 1880s — not too long after photography was invented.
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:
A youthful, digital version of Kilmer appeared in the trailer for archeological action pic "As Deep as the Grave," telling another character: "Don't fear the dead and don't fear me."
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
The quick pic is when someone in the theater takes out their phone during a film and thinks to themselves, “I’m just going to snap one quick pic, no one will see me!”
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
"I was NOT prepared for the placenta pic," wrote one, and another replied: "Placenta and placenta pills were not on my bingo card for today but OK."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025
There’s no Bluesky virality for quote-posting a pic of Timothée Chalamet and the Jenners at a Knicks game.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2025
My phone goes off and I’m banking on it being Aimee when I see Malcolm’s dead-ass ugly profile pic.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
In June 2026, following years of speculation regarding engagement rings and viral AI wedding pics, he confirmed they had, in fact, got married.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Said another: “The biggest villain in this story has to be the parent that posted the pics to Facebook.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
That pricey pad is also where the “Gossip Girl” alum flaunts her fashion-forward wardrobe on Instagram, and from those pretty pics, we’ve gotten a peek at the rustic-cool spaces.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
In the comments section of a fan account, the Grammy-nominated singer on Wednesday name-dropped “famous New Orleans paparazzi” and alleged they were doing more than just snapping pics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024
I’m in a hospital bed getting good air from an oxygen mask and checking out all the love from the Plutos on my Instagram pics.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
The collaboration between Billie and the bassiest Echo seems like a direct play for the tweenager room — an assumption bolstered by the frilly boudoir featured in promotional pix for the collab.
From The Verge ● Sep. 22, 2021
There’s no pix, only prose — And the ratings disclose That reviewers say: it’s “poor: no graphic.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 5, 2019
In 1965 a portrait photographer sent her “some pix of myself which John rightly says could be used to advertise a rest home for the aged poor.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2016
She hosted a largely respectful debate about prayer on her Twitter feed for most of the night, which ended with an "official call for cute animal pix".
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2015
John Mark is gonna record it all so I can take pix!
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
