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

Example Sentences

Her works include land and seascapes as well as her Scallop sculpture in Aldeburgh in tribute to composer Benjamin Britten and her Oscar Wilde sculpture near Trafalgar Square in London.

From BBC

“I got into animation because it’s easier to draw people than talk to them,” he said, seated in his office beside sculptures of characters from his directorial successes “Monsters, Inc.,”

From The Wall Street Journal

Together, the roof and the tower give the chapel a beguiling silhouette that can suggest anything from a giant pictograph to an abstract sculpture.

From The Wall Street Journal

It came with a few Brady-themed furniture throw-ins such as a green floral couch and credenza complete with a 3-D printed horse sculpture.

From Los Angeles Times

Together we walked over to the fountain’s edge, where a large spotlight illuminated the slightly tacky sculptures.

From Literature

Related Words

• sculpt