noun
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the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition
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a composition or picture made in this way
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the act of applying paint to a surface with a brush
Etymology
Origin of painting
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at paint, -ing 1
Explanation
If you want to study painting, go to art school. If that doesn’t work out, maybe you can get a job painting houses. Then you can paint a house purple or paint a picture, which is called a painting. Slapping a coat of paint on your apartment walls is painting, but so is creating a masterpiece like Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or maybe even C.M. Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker.” The picture that results from your painting experiments is also called a painting. The Latin root of painting, pingere, means "to paint," but also "to stain, embroider, or tattoo."
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.
For those, however, who take their painting with a dash of the occult, the tempera panels of Bu Shi at Sarahcrown will delight.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
A painting by Dame Judi Dench has sold for £6,900 at a charity auction in Surrey.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
At least two carry $100 million asking prices, including Jackson Pollock’s drip painting, “Number 7A, 1948,” and Constantin Brancusi’s 1913 bronze bust, “Danaïde.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
The family, which changed their name at the end of the war, have admitted being in possession of the painting but denied knowing its true origin, according to a statement to Dutch media.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Every day after community service, I’ve been doing something with one of them, either building, posting on websites—Mom made a Facebook page for my coop business!—scrounging supplies, or painting with Liz.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
