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)
-
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
-
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:
The little boy adds a bright rainbow, a shining sun and a tall tree to his illustration, while other displaced children paint alongside him at a shelter in Pereira.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the writers don’t paint Macon as a simple villain, or anyone else as a cut-and-dried protagonist.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Taken together, the reviews paint a picture of a show shaped more by personal reflection than conventional comedy, something Knox herself acknowledges.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The residues of that history are not confined to old paint.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
There was nothing there but paint and posters of famous people telling kids to read.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
“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
Overall, the pattern of responses from advisers paints a picture of frothy optimism at a high level, coupled with a fundamental concern about the implications of policy on financial security.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Don’t miss out on the shapes the lightning paints the clouds with because you’re too busy swimming in puddles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But some of the consternation from players towards how England were instructed to finish the game certainly paints an interesting picture heading into the rest of Tuchel's reign.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
The raw pigments used for paints fascinated her: dried buckthorn berries for green, shellfish for purple, precious lapis lazuli for blue.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
While excoriating the loss of his visa, López Beltrán also painted a dystopian picture of present-day life north of the border.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The words “California Republic” were painted in black ink with the chewed end of a twig.
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
In his veto statement, Landry painted many of the exonerees as “convicted criminals” whose only interest is money.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Each of us painted into the picture her own greatest need.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Sebastian gifted the painting to his father, Alexander Fernandez.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The owner of Wales' only working windmill has been ordered to return it to its original colour, after painting it red, white and green.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But Grande does perpetuate a silence, complacency, and enabling by painting genuine concern as gossipy chatter.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Whistler quickly absorbed the newest currents in French painting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
That’s the part of the project that necessitates working slowly and methodically, like how I like to approach a new sketch or painting.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
