photograph
Americannoun
-
photographs
plural
verb (used with object)
-
photographs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
photographed,
past participle, past
-
photographing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
photographs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
photographed,
past participle, past
-
photographing
present participle
-
to practice photography.
-
to be photographed or be suitable for being photographed in some specified way.
The children photograph well.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rephotographverb (used with object)
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photographableadjective
-
unphotographableadjective
-
unphotographedadjective
-
well-photographedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
photographsimple
-
photographssimple
-
have photographedperfect
-
has photographedperfect
-
am photographingprogressive
-
are photographingprogressive
-
is photographingprogressive
-
have been photographingperfect progressive
-
has been photographingperfect progressive
Past
-
photographedsimple
-
had photographedperfect
-
was photographingprogressive
-
were photographingprogressive
-
had been photographingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of photograph
Explanation
When you take a picture with a camera, the result is a photograph, a picture of your subject created by a special medium’s exposure to light. The first photographs were created on metal plates coated with a special chemical. Although photography as we know it did not emerge until the 19th century, the word photograph evolved from the ancient Greek words phot-, "light," and graph-, "writing," which were combined to create the word for taking pictures — "light writing." Nowadays we take our photographs with electronic cameras, recording, transferring, and storing the pictures digitally. Times change, and while many people still enjoy using film cameras, they are becoming increasingly rare, and certain types of films are no longer produced.
Vocabulary lists containing photograph
Write On!: Graph and Gram
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Introduction to Informational Text
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
“Went and got the law involved,” Wilkins posted on Instagram, alongside a black-and-white photograph of the couple smiling and showing off Wilkins’ engagement ring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Kimi Chi, a salesman from the central city of Taichung, had travelled through the night to be able to photograph the aircraft landing in Taitung.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
After some of the attacks, Weinberg would ask the frightened women to speak with other potential models who were nervous about letting him photograph them, according to the February court filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Atilal Dhurwey holds a framed photograph of his 17-year-old brother Rooplal, who died in June.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“I used to play tennis. That’s a good racket she’s got there. You can tell from the P on the face of it —” She practically touched the photograph.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
He provided real-time updates to a Los Angeles-based Chinese consular official and sent photographs of individuals protesting both in support of and in opposition to Tsai, the Justice Department said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Less than an hour after getting marries, the couple found themselves surrounded by dramatic scenery for their wedding photographs.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Now 41, she is worried her 11-year-old son will compare his body to fake photographs of "perfect people".
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Deputies also erected a white pop-up tent, often used during an investigation where remains are found, and were taking photographs at the scene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Well, it’s unusual to meet someone who’s not champing at the bit to get into the movies. Is it true that the Chinese believe cameras and photographs take possession of the soul?”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Among those he photographed was Rani Kaur, known as DJ Radical Sister, one of the pioneering women of the scene.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
If a driver other than the registered vehicle owner is photographed driving over the speed limit, the registered owner of the vehicle must pay the fine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Both POWs are identifiable as they had been photographed by South Korean media before their arrival to the South.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
On Tuesday, Prince Harry was photographed signing a wall at a film studio in London, his first appearance since his return.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
KGB surveillance teams trailed, photographed, and harassed every known or suspected CIA employee in Moscow.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Winterich has found that photographing an object makes it easier to let go of.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
"It is a completely different experience," said photographer Hemant Chaturvedi, 58, who has documented what remains during a seven-year odyssey, photographing 1,350 single-screen cinemas across 1,000 towns.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The identities of the nine women and three men on the jury has not been made public, and the judge banned any photographing or filming of them to retain their anonymity.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Not surprisingly, he is plucked for a covert mission that involves photographing secret Soviet bases from a tricked-out stealth jet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
He could mingle with the big groups that stumbled off the boats and raced through town for a few hours, photographing everything that looked old with a bit of gold on its gable.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
