Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

painter

1 American  
[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

  1. an artist who paints pictures.

  2. a person who coats walls or other surfaces with paint, especially as an occupation.

  3. Astronomy. Painter, the constellation Pictor.


painter 2 American  
[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

  1. a rope, usually at the bow, for fastening a boat to a ship, stake, etc.


painter 3 American  
[peyn-ter] / ˈpeɪn tər /

noun

  1. cougar.


painter 1 British  
/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

  1. a person who paints surfaces as a trade

  2. an artist who paints pictures

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

painter 2 British  
/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

  1. a line attached to the bow of a boat for tying it up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of painter1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentour, paint(o)ur, from Anglo-French peint(o)ur, from unattested Vulgar Latin pinctor, from Latin pictor (noun derivative of pingere paint ( def. ) + -or 2 ( def. ) ); -er 1 ( def. )

Origin of painter2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peyntour, pentre, probably from Middle French pentoir, variant of pendoir “rope, cord for hanging things on,” from Old French pentoir, penteur; pend, -er 2

Origin of painter3

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; variant of panther

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.

When the boys were young, they remember their dad as a full-time painter and decorator, who also did DIY for neighbours, which is when they first knew how generous he could be with his time.

From BBC

John's mother Augusta, an accomplished watercolour painter herself, died when John was eight, and the family moved to Tenby.

From BBC

Taufic Suleman, a painter and decorator from Ghana, felt "irritated" when the foreign minister announced that IShowSpeed, who grew up in the US but has a Ghanaian mother, had been approved for a passport.

From BBC

What mattered was the brilliance both painters brought to the genre each transformed in equal measure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Curators at Hever Castle, the childhood home of Boleyn, said new research showed that the painter altered the undersketch for the Hever Rose portrait from the standard "B" pattern they initially followed.

From BBC