pinto
Americanadjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pinto
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; from Spanish, from Vulgar Latin pinctus (unattested) “painted”; see pinta
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:
They bring back containers full of everything from pinto beans to home remodeling products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
As a child in Northern California, he grew up eating tostadas with refried pinto beans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
Steven Ness, who grows pinto beans and pumpkins in central New Mexico, said the rising cost of irrigation as groundwater dwindles is an issue across the board for farmers in the region.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
More recently, scientists have been working to recover pinto abalone, colorful sea snails with a shell and one foot.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
“The first little boy says, ‘There’s pinto beans.’
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
When he discovered black beans, he found them downright exotic—inky, fudgy, definitely not the same old pintos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
Black beans bring a deeper, earthier tone; pintos are soft and nutty, more traditional.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
Hard to imagine in their tiny shells today, pintos can grow to the size of an adult’s hand.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2021
More recently, I’ve been making it with pintos instead.
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2020
At another open window on the same side of the house, the one next to the sink where Hagar washed her hair and where Reba put pintos to soak, a woman’s face appeared.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
