painter

1 of 3

noun (1)

paint·​er ˈpān-tər 

: one that paints: such as

a

: an artist who paints

b

: one who applies paint especially as an occupation

painter

2 of 3

noun (2)

pain·​ter ˈpān-tər 

: a line used for securing or towing a boat

painter

3 of 3

noun (3)

pain·​ter ˈpān-tər 

: cougar sense 1

Examples of painter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There was a retrospective on Alfred Chircop, a local abstract painter who died in 2015. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025

While the painters might have been from different worlds — Nicholson was born in 1893 and resided in Cumbria, while Cranston, born in 1969, lives in Scotland — their work both revels in intimacy’s imperfections. —Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025

As an aging painter whose legend has begun to fade, McKellen soaks up the moment, commanding Soderbergh’s camera and wringing laugh line after laugh line from Ed Solomon’s script. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025

Downtown painters in New York City such as Willa Wasserman, Michelle Uckotter, and Agnes Walden employ a kind of strategic opacity, refusing the more commercial route of vulnerable self-portraits. —Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Middle English paynter, probably from Middle French dialect (Normandy) pentoir, penteur clothesline, from pendre to hang — more at pendant

Noun (3)

alteration of panther

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1764, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing painter

• painter's colic

Rhymes for painter

• fainter

Kids Definition

painter

1 of 3 noun

paint·​er ˈpānt-ər 

: one that paints

especially : an artist who paints

painter

2 of 3 noun

pain·​ter

: a line used for attaching or towing a boat

painter

3 of 3 noun

pain·​ter

: cougar

Etymology

Noun

from paint (verb) and -er (noun suffix)

Noun

Middle English paynter "a line used for securing a boat," probably from early French pentoir, penteur "clothesline"

Noun

an altered form of panther