Jump To:

• finger paint
  finger paint

  noun

  a jellylike paint, used chiefly by children in painting, usually with their fingers.
• finger-paint
  finger-paint

  verb (used with or without object)

  to paint by using finger paints.

finger paint

¹ American  

noun

1. a jellylike paint, used chiefly by children in painting, usually with their fingers.

---

finger-paint ² American  

[fing-ger-peynt] / ˈfɪŋ gərˌpeɪnt /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to paint by using finger paints.

---

Other Word Forms

• finger painting
  noun

Etymology

Origin of finger paint¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Origin of finger-paint²

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

finger paint finger-paint

Those on a more restrictive budget can achieve more or less the same effect with Legos and finger paint somewhere with a food truck in the vicinity.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 26, 2018

Ever since my son was a baby, he’s had a fascination with airplanes, peering up at them through his long eyelashes, and drawing contrails in the sky with white finger paint.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2017

Younger children are getting a faceful of finger paint.

From Time ● Jul. 30, 2010

He can get a blob of finger paint all over a sheet of paper.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hazel saw herself as a little girl, grinning, with her hands covered in finger paint.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Another feature lets you finger-paint directly onto your photos, just like you can on Snapchat.

From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2016

"I would like to dedicate this to all of my teachers who taught me to sing and finger-paint," he said.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2010