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
And sometimes ending in mea culpa like the 1988 cartoon Memories Are Made of This.
—
David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
The 1-year-old twins were distracted by the cartoon characters, as both turned to face the character performer dressed as Mickey’s sweetheart.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
These eggs are in 1-dozen cartoons with 30 eggs.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Tad’s centennial diary publishes this week in our annual Cartoons & Puzzles Issue, which is brought to life under the stewardship of our cartoon editor, Emma Allen, and puzzles-and-games editor, Liz Maynes-Aminzade.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
The 1-year-old twins were distracted by the cartoon characters, as both turned to face the character performer dressed as Mickey’s sweetheart.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
These eggs are in 1-dozen cartoons with 30 eggs.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Tad’s centennial diary publishes this week in our annual Cartoons & Puzzles Issue, which is brought to life under the stewardship of our cartoon editor, Emma Allen, and puzzles-and-games editor, Liz Maynes-Aminzade.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 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 24 Dec. 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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