paint
Americannoun
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paints
plural
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a substance composed of solid coloring matter suspended in a liquid medium and applied as a protective or decorative coating to various surfaces, or to canvas or other materials in producing a work of art.
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an application of this.
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the dried surface pigment.
Don't scuff the paint.
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the solid coloring matter alone; pigment.
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facial cosmetics, especially lipstick, rouge, etc., designed to heighten natural color.
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Chiefly Western U.S. a pied, calico, or spotted horse or pony; pinto.
verb (used with object)
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paints,
present (3rd person singular)
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painted,
past participle, past
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painting
present participle
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to coat, cover, or decorate (something) with paint.
to paint a fence.
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to produce (a picture, design, etc.) in paint.
to paint a portrait.
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to represent in paint, as in oils, tempera, or watercolor.
to paint an actress as the Muse of tragedy.
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to depict as if by painting; describe vividly in words.
The ads painted the resort as a winter wonderland.
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to color by or as if by painting.
Sunset painted the clouds pink.
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to apply a substance to, as a liquid medicine or a cosmetic.
to paint a cut with iodine.
verb (used without object)
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paints,
present (3rd person singular)
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painted,
past participle, past
-
painting
present participle
-
to coat or cover anything with paint.
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to engage in painting as an art.
She has begun to paint in her spare time.
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to put on or use facial cosmetics.
idioms
noun
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a substance used for decorating or protecting a surface, esp a mixture consisting of a solid pigment suspended in a liquid, that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard coating
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a dry film of paint on a surface
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the solid pigment of a paint before it is suspended in liquid
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informal face make-up, such as rouge
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short for greasepaint
verb
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to make (a picture) of (a figure, landscape, etc) with paint applied to a surface such as canvas
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to coat (a surface) with paint, as in decorating
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(tr) to apply (liquid) onto (a surface)
her mother painted the cut with antiseptic
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(tr) to apply make-up onto (the face, lips, etc)
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(tr) to describe vividly in words
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informal to celebrate uninhibitedly; go on a spree
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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paintsimple
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paintssimple
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have paintedperfect
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has paintedperfect
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am paintingprogressive
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are paintingprogressive
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is paintingprogressive
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have been paintingperfect progressive
-
has been paintingperfect progressive
Past
-
paintedsimple
-
had paintedperfect
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was paintingprogressive
-
were paintingprogressive
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had been paintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of paint
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English peinten (verb), from Old French peint “painted,” past participle of peindre “to paint,” from Latin pingere; see picture
Explanation
Paint is a liquid, colored substance you can use to decorate or protect a surface. If you want your bedroom walls to be bright purple, you need to buy some purple paint. Artists use paint to create landscapes, portraits, and other styles of paintings, and house painters use paint to coat and protect the wood siding on houses. When you paint, you make a painting, or cover something with paint: "First I'm going to paint your portrait, and after you paint that wall in your kitchen, we can hang it there." When someone "paints the town red," they don't literally paint anything — they just go on a celebratory spree.
Vocabulary lists containing paint
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:
But the paint is peeling, and Cohen recently got a chance to interview Trump for his podcast.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
She and Rhos-on-Sea resident, Dean Ward, went to remove the paint.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He came with these bold ideas and somehow was able to paint himself as a change agent coming from the outside.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
If your co-workers would like to paint the reality which they presumably opted into as unfair, that is a reflection on how they perceive themselves, not you.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
On the floor at the back, her flashlight found a stack of shoeboxes covered in glitter and bright paint.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Dmitry Muratov paints a bleak picture of life in Russia for critics of the authorities.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“The estate feels very strongly that the evidence paints a different picture,” said Julie Lavoie, a lawyer for the estate who took the case to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Its listing certainly paints an impressive picture about the home’s many offerings, making quite the to-do about its “breathtaking views,” “lush tropical landscaping,” and “opulent” decor.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
In childhood, he paints an abstract picture of God in which the Almighty eerily resembles a movie camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Just as he idealizes Caroline, he paints the Loyers as the perfect mother and daughter.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
In his presentation, Mr. Klepach painted a discouraging picture of the Russian economy, which he said was on the brink of stagnation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The walls were painted black and balanced by light hardwood floors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The single star was painted in berry juice, as was the bear, which looked so porcine that Mexicans who were struggling to protect California from Yankee rogues mocked it as more pig than bear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A squat little gem painted gold, filled with vermouth jelly, surrounded by blueberry toast.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
The leaflets are then loaded on planes and dropped across the countryside, while posters— painted by some of Japan’s most talented artists—are pasted on the walls of schools, churches, and other prominent buildings.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
What the viewers of Titian’s time would have known is that the painting depicts the mythical moment in which the Phoenician and Cretan civilizations began to conjoin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
She believes the painting affirms that the bull knows what is best for Europa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The museum generally does not loan the painting "because she is our most important and precious painting", but the renovations allowed it to travel, Gosselink told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Following a 1984 show in Tokyo, the painting came to Osaka to mark the 400th anniversary of Japan-Netherlands relations, drawing 600,000 viewers, said the Asahi Shimbun, which organised the latest show.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The only person who might possibly beat him was Specimen, and they had already decided that whichever one of them won, the other would help with the painting.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
