picture

1 of 2

noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

1

: a design or representation made by various means (such as painting, drawing, or photography)

2

a

: a description so vivid or graphic as to suggest a mental image or give an accurate idea of something

the book gives a detailed picture of what is happening

b

: a mental image

3

: image, copy

he was the picture of his father

she was the very picture of health

4

a

: a transitory visible image or reproduction

b

: motion picture

c

pictures plural : movies

5

: tableau sense 2

6

: situation

took a hard look at his financial picture

picture

2 of 2

verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

ˈpik-shriŋ

transitive verb

1

: to form a mental image of : imagine

2

: to describe graphically in words

3

: to paint or draw a representation, image, or visual conception of : depict

also : illustrate

Synonyms

Noun

• icon
• ikon
• illustration
• image
• likeness

Verb

• depict
• image
• portray
• represent

Examples of picture in a Sentence

Noun

I hung the picture on the wall.

The book has a lot of pictures.

Draw a picture of your house.

The staff looked at the financial picture of the company.

The overall economic picture is improving.

Verb

I can still picture the house I grew up in.

I can't picture changing jobs at this point in my life.

Picture what it would be like if you didn't own a car.

Can you picture him as a teacher?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

His wobbly outlines, gauche bodies and mottled colors yield great pictures, undoubtedly. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024

This time, however, the scientific investigative team was large — spread across three nations — highly coordinated, and had access to new technologies, such as drones, which enabled them to create a more thorough picture of the whales who died, and those that remained alive. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin pictura, from pictus, past participle of pingere to paint — more at paint

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing picture

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• B picture
• (as) pretty as a picture
• enter the picture/scene
• enter the picture
• big picture
• in the picture
• get the picture
• motion picture
• keep someone in the picture
• paint/draw a picture of
• paint a rosy picture
• picture hat
• picture frame
• picture book
• picture puzzle
• picture tube
• picture-perfect
• the picture of
• put someone in the picture
• picture writing
• picture window
• the picture of health
• picture card
• moving picture
• out of the picture
• picture-postcard

Kids Definition

picture

1 of 2 noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

1

: a design or image made on a surface (as by painting, drawing, or photography)

2

a

: a clear description in words

the book gives us a picture of another way of life

b

: a mental image : idea

do you get the picture?

3

: a particular combination of circumstances : situation

an improvement of the economic picture

4

a

: an exact likeness : copy

b

: a perfect symbol of something : embodiment

the picture of health

5

a

: an image on a screen

b

: motion picture

picture adjective

picture

2 of 2 verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

ˈpik-shriŋ

1

: to draw or paint a picture of : depict

2

: to describe vividly

3

: to form a mental image of : imagine