war paint

American  

noun

1. paint applied by American Indians to their faces and bodies before going to war.

2. Informal. makeup; cosmetics.

3. Informal. full dress; regalia.

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war paint British  

noun

1. painted decoration of the face and body applied by certain North American Indians before battle

2. informal finery or regalia

3. informal cosmetics

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Etymology

Origin of war paint

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

war paint

“When you look at traditional war paint across the Americas, there’s no difference between that and corpse paint,” he said.

From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2023

Protests have followed the Chiefs on two Super Bowl trips, and last fall they barred headdresses and war paint for fans at Arrowhead Stadium.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2021

"There was one point where a character says, 'If you've got war paint get it on now', and you see people rushing to the kitchen and getting ketchup and things."

From BBC ● May 17, 2020

They blog, they have a brand, they wrap themselves in henna or war paint at festivals even though they rarely engage in a physical war, if they ever engage at all.

From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2020

The numbers were like war paint on the white face of the clock, the hands like swords as they slashed across the pearly surface.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas