cartoon
Americannoun
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cartoons
plural
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a sketch or drawing, usually humorous, as in a newspaper or periodical, symbolizing, satirizing, or caricaturing some action, subject, or person of popular interest.
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Fine Arts. a full-scale design for a picture, ornamental motif or pattern, or the like, to be transferred to a fresco, tapestry, etc.
adjective
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a humorous or satirical drawing, esp one in a newspaper or magazine, concerning a topical event
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Also called: comic strip. a sequence of drawings in a newspaper, magazine, etc, relating a comic or adventurous situation
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See animated cartoon
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a full-size preparatory sketch for a fresco, tapestry, mosaic, etc, from which the final work is traced or copied
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cartoon
First recorded in 1665–75; from Italian cartone “pasteboard, stout paper, a drawing on such paper,” equivalent to cart(a) “paper” ( see carte) + -one augmentative suffix
Explanation
A cartoon makes a brief, funny comment using illustrations and is often found on television, in a newspaper or in a magazine. The Simpsons and Snoopy? Both cartoons. A cartoon can be a satirical or humorous drawing, a series of illustrations (also called a comic strip), or an animated film. Many kids grow up watching new and classic cartoons on TV. Political cartoons manage to sum up an often complex idea in one simple panel. When you criticize a character or a real person for being a cartoon, you mean that they are overly simplified or exaggerated: "I hate that show because all the women are cartoon characters." The word comes from the Italian cartone, "strong, heavy paper."
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:
Dring compared GTA's biting humour to that of the cartoon "South Park", and warned against expecting direct attacks on Trump or Russia in "GTA VI".
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026
To extend the horror-movie metaphors even further, Trump is such a crude cartoon character that if he isn’t the Terrifier then maybe he’s Pinhead from “Hellraiser.”
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Obviously a France of spirit and aspiration exists, a France that wouldn’t wish to remember itself, in the obnoxious phrase of a U.S. cartoon character, as a nation of cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Thematically, too, there was a determination to venture into more adult territory than any kids’ cartoon had previously.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It’s made up of intricate cartoon drawings, each one instructing people on the proper way to hand wash or the correct way to cough in public.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
During the Emergency in the 1970s, when civil liberties were suspended and the press was tightly controlled, Abu Abraham continued drawing, even as dozens of his cartoons were stamped "not passed by censors".
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Instead of the suburban setting common to so many cartoons — including Nickelodeon’s “Doug” — “Hey Arnold!” was set firmly in the inner city, a vibrantly gritty amalgam of Seattle, Portland and Brooklyn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In his 1989 book “Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist,” Jones codified his rules for the cartoons, like “The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote except by going ‘Beep-Beep!’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The monk had appeared at a magistrate's hearing to support military intelligence officers accused of abducting Prageeth Eknaligoda, whose cartoons were critical of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Buses, cartoons, and the color purple,” says Healy, one of Sasha’s closest friends.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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