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
She enjoys reading the cartoons in the Sunday paper.
The kids are watching cartoons.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the 19th century, failures were often satirized in cartoons, which may have motivated some elite risk-takers to push on with their attempts past the point of reason rather than face social ridicule.
—
Christopher Ferguson, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
On Facebook, Kazmierczak has switched his profile pictures to Trump many times while also uploading cartoons criticizing Democrats’ policies.
—Philip Wang, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
There was a green Gumby cocktail served, Gumby cartoons on the TVs and Gomez unveiled a huge piñata-like sculpture of the Gumby character as a gift for Marques.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Pepe the Frog and Wojak (the bald, numb-looking cartoon character used to express ennui) were incubated in extremist circles on the image board 4chan.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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.
Christopher Ferguson, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
On Facebook, Kazmierczak has switched his profile pictures to Trump many times while also uploading cartoons criticizing Democrats’ policies.
—Philip Wang, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
There was a green Gumby cocktail served, Gumby cartoons on the TVs and Gomez unveiled a huge piñata-like sculpture of the Gumby character as a gift for Marques.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Pepe the Frog and Wojak (the bald, numb-looking cartoon character used to express ennui) were incubated in extremist circles on the image board 4chan.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 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 30 Jan. 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
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
