paint-by-numbers
Britishadjective
Etymology
Origin of paint-by-numbers
C20: from children's painting books in which the colours to be used are identified by numbers on the design to be painted
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 league has a salary cap, as well as paint-by-numbers roster compliance rules that permit minimal flexibility on how its teams can spend money.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2025
Like a paint-by-numbers canvas, each region of the E-map is assigned a number.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024
There are a handful of scenes that play out with similar details, but whether by different performance choices, or the addition of one of those musical numbers, this largely avoids being a paint-by-numbers retelling.
From Salon • Jan. 12, 2024
AP: This passion for painting started with paint-by-numbers and then went quickly to 6-by-8-foot canvases?
From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2023
Worse, I was just the same as every other jailhouse con who walked into his office looking to feed him a fake paint-by-numbers home life.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
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.
