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.
“It’s a paint-by-numbers, not a plan,” Allman said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025
Like a paint-by-numbers canvas, each region of the E-map is assigned a number.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 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
In an interview with the Weather Network, Somerhalder called Kiss the Ground the “single most important documentary ever,” and said its proposed solutions offer “a paint-by-numbers way of how to stop climate change.”
From Slate • Jun. 17, 2023
Lena had been creating paint-by-numbers canvases for him, sketching them with expert speed, customizing each image to his specifications.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
