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

---

painter ² British  

/ ˈpeɪntə /

noun

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

---

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. ) ); see -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; see origin at pend, -er ²

Origin of painter³

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

Explanation

A painter is an artist who uses a brush to daub colors onto paper or canvas. The person who tints your bedroom walls pink at your request is also a painter. The main thing painters have in common is that they use paint — whether it's watercolor, house paint, or finger paint. If you hire a painter to paint your portrait, you'll end up with a work of art suitable for framing. And if you hire a painter to paint your house green, you'll end up with a green house. If a sailboat captain mentions a painter, they're probably referring to the special rope used for towing or tying up a boat.

Example Sentences

In Valentino by Alessandro Michele, they used Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi as inspiration, according to Vogue, and the “Killing of a Sacred Elmo” vibes were in your face, in a good way.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

The painter Frederic Edwin Church would make detailed sketches of plants that might appear in his spectacular, worshipful paintings of the wilderness.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

He handles the fine arts beat as well, talking to such luminaries as photographer Annie Leibovitz and painter David Hockney.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In Bishkek, painter Erkinbek Bolzhurov is worried about the fate of the House of Artists, which stands next to the former national printing house -- of which now only the walls remain.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

C.C. went on to explain that a painter didn’t actually capture the things being painted.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• animator
• artisan
• craftsman
• illustrator