plural cartoons
1
: a preparatory design, drawing, or painting (as for a fresco)
2
a
: a drawing intended as satire, caricature, or humor
a political cartoon
a cartoon drawing
b
: a group of drawings in narrative sequence : comic strip
3
: a video (such as a television show or movie) that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (such as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame : animated cartoon
4
: a ludicrously simplistic, unrealistic, or one-dimensional portrayal or version
The film's villain is an entertaining cartoon.
cartoon
verb
cartoonishly
adverb
Examples of cartoon in a Sentence
Noun
She enjoys reading the cartoons in the Sunday paper.
The kids are watching cartoons.
Recent Examples on the Web
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Michelle has also faced ongoing comments on her appearance ‒ a 2011 cartoon depicted her as overweight and bingeing on hamburgers and more recently, she has been accused of taking Ozempic to lose weight.
—Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 15 June 2026
There were cartoons while dressing children, evening news while cooking dinner, and, before bed, families watched mutely as onscreen families laughed and talked.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
In anticipation of supersonic flight, the 747 was designed to shift into cargo duty sometime by the end of the ’70s; its cygnine hump allowed containers to be loaded through its nose, which opens like the mouth of a cartoon shark.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
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Noun
Testimony to this, kids under 12 only represented 4% of the audience for Masters of the Universe during its opening weekend according to Deadline, with the over 35 age group dominating at 57% and the over 45s, who grew up on the original cartoon, coming to 36%.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Michelle has also faced ongoing comments on her appearance ‒ a 2011 cartoon depicted her as overweight and bingeing on hamburgers and more recently, she has been accused of taking Ozempic to lose weight.
—Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 15 June 2026
There were cartoons while dressing children, evening news while cooking dinner, and, before bed, families watched mutely as onscreen families laughed and talked.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
In anticipation of supersonic flight, the 747 was designed to shift into cargo duty sometime by the end of the ’70s; its cygnine hump allowed containers to be loaded through its nose, which opens like the mouth of a cartoon shark.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
Cite this Entry
“Cartoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartoon. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cartoon
noun
car·toon
kär-ˈtün 
1
: a design, drawing, or painting made as a model for the finished work
2
a
: a drawing intended as a humorous comment on public affairs
b
3
Etymology
Noun
from Italian cartone "pasteboard, a sketch of a planned drawing or painting done on heavy paper," from carta "sheet of paper," from Latin charta "piece of papyrus" — related to card entry 3, carton
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