pic
1 Americannoun
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pix,
plural
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pics
plural
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a movie.
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a photograph.
noun
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the scoring of 30 points in the declaration of hands and in the play before one's opponent scores a point.
-
the bonus of 30 points won for so scoring.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pic1
First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening from picture
Origin of pic2
< French: literally, prick
Explanation
A pic is a photo or a snapshot. When you're visiting the Statue of Liberty, you might hand your camera to a stranger and ask if they'll take your pic. Use the informal pic as a slang term for picture. Your selfie-obsessed friend might insist on snapping pics of himself everywhere he goes, while your grandma might proudly show of the pics of her grandchildren she keeps in her wallet. You can also call a movie a pic. This word might sound fairly modern, but it's been around since the 1880s — not too long after photography was invented.
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:
Troy has barely snapped a pic before he is forced to parachute into the Siberian wilderness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
A youthful, digital version of Kilmer appeared in the trailer for archeological action pic "As Deep as the Grave," telling another character: "Don't fear the dead and don't fear me."
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
The quick pic is sometimes even more ignorant, because its perpetrators believe they have some kind of special technique to avoid disturbing other patrons.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
"I was NOT prepared for the placenta pic," wrote one, and another replied: "Placenta and placenta pills were not on my bingo card for today but OK."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025
Then I stare at the profile pic and name, too.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Keen users are posting before and after "reta" pics on their TikTok feeds, describing how it has silenced food noise, helped them shed pounds and lose inches, with some saying it's completely transformed their lives.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
That pricey pad is also where the “Gossip Girl” alum flaunts her fashion-forward wardrobe on Instagram, and from those pretty pics, we’ve gotten a peek at the rustic-cool spaces.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
Vermillio—a service that searches for your likeness around the web—found thousands more fake Smith pics and videos and hundreds of accounts on YouTube, TikTok and elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Some L.A. singles attract potential dates with dog pics, gym mirror selfies or promises that they love “going on adventures.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
"From the pics, it's clear the comm array is ruined. We need another way to talk. Once we can talk, we can assess and make plans."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
The collaboration between Billie and the bassiest Echo seems like a direct play for the tweenager room — an assumption bolstered by the frilly boudoir featured in promotional pix for the collab.
From The Verge ● Sep. 22, 2021
United star Wayne Rooney and his family posed for pix with the Trumps' 12-year-old son, Barron Trump, who is an avid soccer fan and player.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 18, 2018
In 1965 a portrait photographer sent her “some pix of myself which John rightly says could be used to advertise a rest home for the aged poor.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2016
She hosted a largely respectful debate about prayer on her Twitter feed for most of the night, which ended with an "official call for cute animal pix".
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2015
John Mark is gonna record it all so I can take pix!
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
