sculpture

American  

[skuhlp-cher] / ˈskʌlp tʃər /

noun

1. the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round.

2. such works of art collectively.

3. an individual piece of such work.

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verb (used with object)

sculptured, sculpturing

1. to carve, model, weld, or otherwise produce (a piece of sculpture).

2. to produce a portrait or image of in this way; represent in sculpture.

3. Physical Geography. to change the form of (the land surface) by erosion.

verb (used without object)

sculptured, sculpturing

1. to work as a sculptor.

sculpture British  

/ ˈskʌlptʃə /

noun

1. the art of making figures or designs in relief or the round by carving wood, moulding plaster, etc, or casting metals, etc

2. works or a work made in this way

3. ridges or indentations as on a shell, formed by natural processes

4. the gradual formation of the landscape by erosion

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verb

1. (also intr) to carve, cast, or fashion (stone, bronze, etc) three dimensionally

2. to portray (a person, etc) by means of sculpture

3. to form in the manner of sculpture, esp to shape (landscape) by erosion

4. to decorate with sculpture

Other Word Forms

• nonsculptural adjective
• nonsculpturally adverb
• resculpture verb (used with object)
• sculptural adjective
• sculpturally adverb
• unsculptural adjective

Etymology

Origin of sculpture

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Latin sculptūra, equivalent to sculpt ( us ) (past participle of sculpere to carve) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

Sculpture is a type of artwork that's two- or three-dimensional, so you can see it from different sides. You can make sculpture from clay, marble, wood, and even mashed potatoes, though the potato kind might not make it into an art museum. From the Latin sculpere "to carve," sculpture often is carved out of a block of wood, stone, or other material. Statues and outdoor artworks are one type of sculpture, and they are freestanding — you can walk around them, under them, or even over them. Other types are carved into walls, with the figures or objects sticking out from a flat surface. Artists called sculptors use soft materials, metal, and even ice and common objects like cars and cans to make sculpture.

Example Sentences

Andrew Small, from Liverpool, was commissioned by Sunderland City Council in 2008 to create a sculpture, named 'C', to mark the end of the Sea to Sea cycle path.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

As part of the agreement with the council, Small retained copyright for the sculpture - with any reproduction of it for commercial reasons requiring a separate agreement.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The sculpture has become a symbol to Davy that something can be beautiful, not in spite of its flaws but because of them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Gordon Matta-Clark cut holes through three floors of the building, Jene Highstein created a rolling hill of concrete in a former classroom, and Richard Serra embedded a steel sculpture in the floor of the attic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Ortiz’s explanation is that Langlotz had bought the sculpture as a very young man, before he acquired much of his formidable expertise.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• sculpt