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

Sculpture, installation art, photography, and drawing with ink and charcoal all appealed to him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

The result is intimate, funny and deeply human, says Leigh Arnold, a curator at Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, whose 2022 land-art exhibition, “Groundswell,” featured Mendieta’s short film of the work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

The mirror-finish sculpture was commissioned by the Taupō Sculpture Trust and created by Slovenian-born artist Gregor Kregar.

From BBC • May 20, 2025

While we were in New Orleans, we visited one of our favorite places, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2025

Sculpture takes on a heightened physical presence which demands that we look at it.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Related Words

• sculpt