: one that paints: such as
a
: an artist who paints
b
: one who applies paint especially as an occupation
: a line used for securing or towing a boat

Examples of painter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
For decades, the portrait had been identified as a work by the Italian Baroque painter Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi. Sergio Farella, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Davis, 55, was the founder of a company caller Airbrush Junkies and was well-known as a portrait painter, The Nassau Guardian reported. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 The kingdom’s painters gave their canvases to palm trees and dates, dhows and calligraphy, while crude merely paid for the paint. Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Its author, Frederic Spotts, argues that Hitler, a painter in his youth, saw himself as an artist reshaping the cultural essence of Germany. Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for painter

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Middle English paynter, probably from Middle French dialect (Normandy) pentoir, penteur clothesline, from pendre to hang — more at pendant entry 1

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of painter was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Painter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/painter. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

painter

1 of 3 noun
: 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

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