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
Slipping into the character’s geometric purple dress and rocking her stylish red hair, Ripa brought the beloved cartoon character from The Jetsons to life in a playful, retro-futuristic look.
—
Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926, and in honor of Pooh’s 100th birthday, Life magazine put together a special issue commemorating this beloved cartoon.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 29 Oct. 2025
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, editorial cartoons regularly attacked Irish, Italian, Chinese and Jewish immigrants.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
More on that below, alongside nearly everything the cartoon grocery store introduced this fall, taste-tested and reviewed.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926, and in honor of Pooh’s 100th birthday, Life magazine put together a special issue commemorating this beloved cartoon.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 29 Oct. 2025
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, editorial cartoons regularly attacked Irish, Italian, Chinese and Jewish immigrants.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
More on that below, alongside nearly everything the cartoon grocery store introduced this fall, taste-tested and reviewed.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
Cite this Entry
“Cartoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartoon. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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
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