clip art

American  

noun

1. drawings or illustrations available, as in a book, on a CD-ROM, or in an online gallery, for easy insertion into other material.

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clip art British  

noun

1. a large collection of simple drawings stored in a computer from which items can be selected for incorporation into documents

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Etymology

Origin of clip art

First recorded in 1955–60; so called because the original clip art was clipped or cut out from a printed page, usually in books of illustrations specifically designed for this purpose.

Example Sentences

Wiener, the author, said it was his “strong speculation” that the artwork was made using computer clip art.

From Los Angeles Times

Another time the coach halted a PowerPoint presentation when a marketing slide featured clip art of a football play diagram.

From Washington Post

Both artists take banal, electronic clip art and render it curiously unsettling.

From Washington Post

But Tomorrow added a visual wink with characters that resembled stylish Cold War clip art — the kind of unflappable talking heads who could make wild science fiction sound coolly plausible.

From Washington Post

Other signs in the shape of red hearts were posted nearby along with clip art images of doctors and nurses.

From Washington Times