crayon
Americannoun
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a pointed stick or pencil of colored clay, chalk, wax, etc., used for drawing or coloring.
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a drawing in crayons.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a small stick or pencil of charcoal, wax, clay, or chalk mixed with coloured pigment
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a drawing made with crayons
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crayonsimple
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crayonssimple
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have crayonedperfect
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has crayonedperfect
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am crayoningprogressive
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are crayoningprogressive
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is crayoningprogressive
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have been crayoningperfect progressive
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has been crayoningperfect progressive
Past
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crayonedsimple
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had crayonedperfect
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was crayoningprogressive
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were crayoningprogressive
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had been crayoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crayon
1635–45; < French, equivalent to craie chalk (< Latin crēta clay, chalk) + -on noun suffix
Explanation
A crayon is a colorful stick of wax made for drawing and coloring. It’s also what you do with it. If a kid asks you to crayon with her, bring some paper and your imagination. Young artists often start with crayons, since they’re easy to deal with. Harold and the Purple Crayon is a book about a little boy who draws his own adventures with one purple crayon. But crayons come in hundreds of colors. While the history of drawing with colored wax dates back to ancient Egypt, the crayon we know today has been around — along with the word itself — since the 17th century. It comes from the French crayon, "pencil."
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.
After a few years she returned home and recorded her debut EP 029 - named after Cardiff dialling code 02920 - at Cardiff's Silk Crayon Studios.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2023
The American Crayon Company, in Sandusky, Ohio, was established in the 19th century by members of Kropf’s family, becoming the longtime rival of Binney & Smith, purveyor of the more familiar Crayola brand crayons.
From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2023
Kim Barrington Narisetti of the Urban Crayon Press joins Felix to discuss the somewhat daunting prospect of traveling with kids.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2019
Crayon wax swirling in a factory vat, propelled by the rhythmic swoosh of a giant paddle.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2019
She’s reaching for Harold and the Purple Crayon.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
