picture
Americannoun
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pictures
plural
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a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc..
I carry a picture of my grandchild in my wallet.
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any visible image, however produced.
pictures reflected in a pool of water.
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a mental image.
a clear picture of how he had looked that day.
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a particular image or reality as portrayed in an account or description; depiction; version.
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a tableau, as in theatrical representation.
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a movie.
He signed a three-picture deal to star in the new franchise.
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Older Use. pictures, movies collectively, as an art; cinema.
So, you want to be in pictures?
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a person, thing, group, or scene regarded as resembling a work of pictorial art in beauty, fineness of appearance, etc..
She was a picture in her new blue dress.
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the image or perfect likeness of someone else.
He is the picture of his father.
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a visible or concrete embodiment of some quality or condition.
the picture of health.
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a situation or set of circumstances.
the economic picture.
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the image on a computer monitor, the viewing screen of a television set, or a motion-picture screen.
verb (used with object)
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pictures,
present (3rd person singular)
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pictured,
past participle, past
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picturing
present participle
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to represent in a picture or pictorially, as by painting or drawing.
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to form a mental picture of; imagine.
He couldn't picture himself doing such a thing.
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to depict in words; describe graphically.
He pictured Rome so vividly that you half-believed you were there.
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to present or create as a setting; portray.
His book pictured the world of the future.
noun
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a visual representation of something, such as a person or scene, produced on a surface, as in a photograph, painting, etc
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( as modifier )
picture gallery
picture postcard
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a mental image or impression
a clear picture of events
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a verbal description, esp one that is vivid
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a situation considered as an observable scene
the political picture
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a person or thing that bears a close resemblance to another
he was the picture of his father
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a person, scene, etc, considered as typifying a particular state or quality
the picture of despair
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a beautiful person or scene
you'll look a picture
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a complete image on a television screen, comprising two interlaced fields
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a motion picture; film
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( as modifier )
picture theatre
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a cinema or film show
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another name for tableau vivant
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informal to understand a situation
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informed about a given situation
verb
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to visualize or imagine
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to describe or depict, esp vividly
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(often passive) to put in a picture or make a picture of
they were pictured sitting on the rocks
Usage
Where does picture come from? A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. But what about the word picture? We’re not going to write a thousand words on picture—although we could. Believe us when we say we could. So, here’s a briefer word picture (see what we did there?) on the origin of this versatile word. In its most general sense, a picture is a visual representation of something, especially in the form of a painting, drawing, photograph, or the like. A picture can also refer to a mental image, among other senses. One meaning of picture, as a verb, is “to represent something in a picture or pictorially”—pictorial being a related adjective form variously used to refer to pictures. The word picture entered English around 1375–1425, borrowed directly from the Latin word pictūra, “the act of painting, a painting.” The word is based on pict(us), the past participle of the verb pingere, meaning “to paint.” The verb could also mean “to draw, embroider, represent,” among other senses. The second part of pictūra is -ūra, a noun suffix represented as -ure in English. See our entry at -ure to learn more about this suffix. Dig deeperThe meaning of the word picture has been very stable in English. Just as it originally did in the late 1300s, a picture can still refer to a drawing or painting— whether it’s your kid’s crayon-scrawled family portrait on your fridge or Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Both are masterpieces, as far as we’re concerned. Please note, though, that when referring to formal or professional works, we often use the name of the medium (painting, photograph, film), with picture referring to more informal or amateur creations. But picture has also been remarkably adaptable, readily lending itself to images created by new technologies: photography, cinema, TV, and all the pictures we take on our smartphones and post on social media. The word movie—it’s easy to forget in an age of Netflix streaming and viral TikTok videos—is shortened from the phrase moving picture. And what are digital images composed of? Tiny pixels. That word is based on pix, a variant of pics, a common shortening of picture. A picture, we might say today, is worth (many) thousands of pixels.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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picturablenessnoun
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picturernoun
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mispictureverb (used with object)
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picturableadjective
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self-picturedadjective
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unpicturedadjective
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picturablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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picturesimple
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picturessimple
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have picturedperfect
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has picturedperfect
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am picturingprogressive
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are picturingprogressive
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is picturingprogressive
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have been picturingperfect progressive
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has been picturingperfect progressive
Past
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picturedsimple
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had picturedperfect
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was picturingprogressive
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were picturingprogressive
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had been picturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of picture
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin pictūra “the act of painting, a painting,” equivalent to pict(us) (past participle of pingere “to paint” ) + -ūra noun suffix; see paint, -ure
Explanation
Use the verb picture if you want people to imagine something vividly in their minds. If your story about your principal and some chickens is descriptive enough, your friends can picture the whole incident. A picture is also a piece of art made by painting or drawing, like the pictures by famous artists you see in a museum. In a book, a picture is an illustration that accompanies the text, often in a child's picture book. You can also call a photograph a picture. Your dad might take so many pictures on vacation that it seems like you spent your entire childhood hiding from his camera.
Vocabulary lists containing picture
Lesson 7
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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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:
"While this was an experiment-driven discovery, our theoretical work provided the molecular-level interpretation needed to translate the X-ray measurements into a detailed picture of the underlying coordination between proton, electron and solvent motion."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
But the overall economic picture remains cloudy, in part because of geopolitical conflict and a turbulent bond market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“It paints the picture of this later equity cycle environment, where correlations are lower, and we have these credit spreads widening out as well,” Wald told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Not that you shouldn’t get a picture, but when I’m reduced to just the transactional, I find that much harder to bear,” she confessed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Jeff was out of the picture, spending the three days with his father in the city.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
On his social media accounts, the difference is striking: a face that was radiant in old pictures, now gone sullen.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
On television pictures, a voice can be heard saying "he spat on me" as the players made their way down the tunnel at TSC Arena.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Another was more prescriptive: “Take pictures of your food. Spend a little time and effort to make your own flyer.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
People who received the fabricated pictures believed there was an intruder in their home and called 911 in a panic, wasting police resources, according to the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
There were pictures on it, and lines and words.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
On Saturday he was pictured with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan bin Mohammed during a visit by the leader to his hospital bedside.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Jonathan Bow, pictured with his son at Lavernock, says he was happy to have "contributed to science"
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Nixon’s wife, Pat, saw them pictured on a package of cigarettes in Beijing during her husband’s historic visit in 1972.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
In the post, Wouter was pictured wearing a dog cone, which is used to prevent pets from licking, chewing or scratching surgical sites or wounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
I always pictured her living somewhere tropical like Cancun or Fiji.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
"Zoning out happened regularly, picturing scoring and winning, what the opposition would be like - hoping they were rubbish so we could have an easy stroll," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“My past is still before me,” Melling belts, picturing himself proudly mounted in a velvet suit and bronze plaque.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
One of the most memorable photographs on view was taken by Jeanne-Claude, printed large and picturing a wide expanse of landscape, with cows grazing near the fence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Daily Telegraph calls the solar eclipse "the greatest show on Earth", picturing a crowd in Birmingham gazing at the phenomenon along with millions across the UK and Europe.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I walk down the hall to her room, picturing her opening the envelope, expecting something profound and deep.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
