picture
Americannoun
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pictures
plural
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a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc..
I carry a picture of my grandchild in my wallet.
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any visible image, however produced.
pictures reflected in a pool of water.
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a mental image.
a clear picture of how he had looked that day.
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a particular image or reality as portrayed in an account or description; depiction; version.
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a tableau, as in theatrical representation.
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a movie.
He signed a three-picture deal to star in the new franchise.
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Older Use. pictures, movies collectively, as an art; cinema.
So, you want to be in pictures?
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a person, thing, group, or scene regarded as resembling a work of pictorial art in beauty, fineness of appearance, etc..
She was a picture in her new blue dress.
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the image or perfect likeness of someone else.
He is the picture of his father.
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a visible or concrete embodiment of some quality or condition.
the picture of health.
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a situation or set of circumstances.
the economic picture.
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the image on a computer monitor, the viewing screen of a television set, or a motion-picture screen.
verb (used with object)
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pictures,
present (3rd person singular)
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pictured,
past participle, past
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picturing
present participle
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to represent in a picture or pictorially, as by painting or drawing.
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to form a mental picture of; imagine.
He couldn't picture himself doing such a thing.
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to depict in words; describe graphically.
He pictured Rome so vividly that you half-believed you were there.
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to present or create as a setting; portray.
His book pictured the world of the future.
noun
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a visual representation of something, such as a person or scene, produced on a surface, as in a photograph, painting, etc
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( as modifier )
picture gallery
picture postcard
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a mental image or impression
a clear picture of events
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a verbal description, esp one that is vivid
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a situation considered as an observable scene
the political picture
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a person or thing that bears a close resemblance to another
he was the picture of his father
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a person, scene, etc, considered as typifying a particular state or quality
the picture of despair
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a beautiful person or scene
you'll look a picture
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a complete image on a television screen, comprising two interlaced fields
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a motion picture; film
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( as modifier )
picture theatre
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a cinema or film show
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another name for tableau vivant
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informal to understand a situation
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informed about a given situation
verb
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to visualize or imagine
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to describe or depict, esp vividly
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(often passive) to put in a picture or make a picture of
they were pictured sitting on the rocks
Usage
Where does picture come from? A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. But what about the word picture? We’re not going to write a thousand words on picture—although we could. Believe us when we say we could. So, here’s a briefer word picture (see what we did there?) on the origin of this versatile word. In its most general sense, a picture is a visual representation of something, especially in the form of a painting, drawing, photograph, or the like. A picture can also refer to a mental image, among other senses. One meaning of picture, as a verb, is “to represent something in a picture or pictorially”—pictorial being a related adjective form variously used to refer to pictures. The word picture entered English around 1375–1425, borrowed directly from the Latin word pictūra, “the act of painting, a painting.” The word is based on pict(us), the past participle of the verb pingere, meaning “to paint.” The verb could also mean “to draw, embroider, represent,” among other senses. The second part of pictūra is -ūra, a noun suffix represented as -ure in English. See our entry at -ure to learn more about this suffix. Dig deeperThe meaning of the word picture has been very stable in English. Just as it originally did in the late 1300s, a picture can still refer to a drawing or painting— whether it’s your kid’s crayon-scrawled family portrait on your fridge or Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Both are masterpieces, as far as we’re concerned. Please note, though, that when referring to formal or professional works, we often use the name of the medium (painting, photograph, film), with picture referring to more informal or amateur creations. But picture has also been remarkably adaptable, readily lending itself to images created by new technologies: photography, cinema, TV, and all the pictures we take on our smartphones and post on social media. The word movie—it’s easy to forget in an age of Netflix streaming and viral TikTok videos—is shortened from the phrase moving picture. And what are digital images composed of? Tiny pixels. That word is based on pix, a variant of pics, a common shortening of picture. A picture, we might say today, is worth (many) thousands of pixels.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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picturablenessnoun
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picturernoun
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mispictureverb (used with object)
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picturableadjective
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self-picturedadjective
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unpicturedadjective
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picturablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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picturesimple
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picturessimple
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have picturedperfect
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has picturedperfect
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am picturingprogressive
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are picturingprogressive
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is picturingprogressive
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have been picturingperfect progressive
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has been picturingperfect progressive
Past
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picturedsimple
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had picturedperfect
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was picturingprogressive
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were picturingprogressive
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had been picturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of picture
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin pictūra “the act of painting, a painting,” equivalent to pict(us) (past participle of pingere “to paint” ) + -ūra noun suffix; see paint, -ure
Explanation
Use the verb picture if you want people to imagine something vividly in their minds. If your story about your principal and some chickens is descriptive enough, your friends can picture the whole incident. A picture is also a piece of art made by painting or drawing, like the pictures by famous artists you see in a museum. In a book, a picture is an illustration that accompanies the text, often in a child's picture book. You can also call a photograph a picture. Your dad might take so many pictures on vacation that it seems like you spent your entire childhood hiding from his camera.
Vocabulary lists containing picture
Lesson 7
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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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:
The one picture hanging on the wall is another of Cowin’s images from the same series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
On the other hand, the new engine's drivability was definitely worse, which may have skewed the picture.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Obtaining a complete three-dimensional picture of a wavefunction would therefore give scientists a powerful view of molecular behavior, but producing such an image has been extremely difficult.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
But his bigger worry is that a lack of change in the U.S. fiscal picture will persist — until it triggers a crisis.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
I just stared at the picture and kept staring because I couldn’t get it, I couldn’t get it, and I didn’t want to see his face again.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
She frequently puts pictures within pictures, deepening and doubling the story being told and making it deliciously clear that what we are seeing is constructed, not found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Once audio technology caught up with moving pictures, many of his peers embraced the “talkies” or bowed out.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
When pictures of Greenpeace's mural emerged on Monday she went up the mountain to see it.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
White also posted pictures of himself wearing a wig, stating that he was embracing his “feminine era.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The inside of the house was so full of furniture and pictures, rugs and lacy things, that it looked like a store.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Cat, pictured here with Linda, described her mother as 'amazingly warm-hearted'
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Previously, newspapers have given away free pairs for major events and school children have been pictured gazing up at the Sun wearing them.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
I just always pictured bankers rolling into the office trying to one-up each other with their brand new Rolex.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
This last week, getting to direct a piece that I wrote, was even more fun because I’d pictured it already in my mind when I was writing it, which is a form of prep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Renn pictured Wolf racing through the Forest with the bear closing in.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The Daily Telegraph calls the solar eclipse "the greatest show on Earth", picturing a crowd in Birmingham gazing at the phenomenon along with millions across the UK and Europe.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
But picturing your future self—and mentally “traveling back” to who you are now—has been shown to increase savings behavior, according to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
“I knew that we were going to film in that house when I read the script so I was picturing all the rooms while I was reading,” says Larsen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
They’re picturing the holidays: the turkey, the guests, and the all-important dining table.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
“That’s awful,” I murmur, picturing Edie red-eyed in the bathroom last week.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
