painting

noun

paint·​ing ˈpān-tiŋ 

1

: a product of painting

especially : a work produced through the art of painting

2

: the art or occupation of painting

Synonyms of painting

• canvas
• mural
• watercolor

Examples of painting in a Sentence

They hung the painting in the living room.

The woman in that painting is my grandmother.

I like painting more than sculpture.

He is studying abstract painting.

She wants to devote all her time to painting.

The room is ready for painting.

Recent Examples on the Web

The English poet Peter Bayley used it in an 1803 poetry collection to describe a painting of Jesus. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Also, the figurative paintings hanging in the ground-floor corridor, by Portuguese artist Leonor Trindade Sousa, are for sale. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026

And while museums are bursting at the seams with paintings of naked women, real women are thrown out of museums for wearing too little (a low-cut dress) or too much (a niqab). — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

In 2023, customs officials fined the Blaquier family over the export of about a dozen paintings to Luxembourg, including works by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin and Cézanne. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing painting

• action painting
• cave painting
• finger painting
• no oil painting
• oil painting
• wall painting

Rhymes for painting

• fainting
• tainting
• acquainting
• repainting

Kids Definition

painting

noun

paint·​ing

1

: a painted work of art

2

: the art or occupation of painting