en plein
Britishadjective
Etymology
Origin of en plein
from French: in full
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.
The result was 37 paintings begun from the motif en plein air, some worked on later in the studio at Giverny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025
He began painting en plein air — outside — when he was a child and one of his art teachers took him and other students out of class to paint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025
The 60-seat patio splits between some picnic tables en plein air, and benches and chairs under a covered wooden structure with heaters and a television turned to ESPN.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2021
Many years later, I would recognize the hills, and even some homes, in the work of the artist Francis Speight, who had trained in Philadelphia in the 1920s and often painted en plein air nearby.
From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2021
Beowulf had knitted a carrying case with a strap, perfect for those times when one gets the urge to paint en plein air and needs to carry one’s portable easel, paints, and brushes outdoors.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
