oil painting

noun

1
a
: the act or art of painting in oil colors
b
: a picture painted in oils
2
: painting that uses pigments originally ground in oil

Examples of oil painting in a Sentence

He studied oil painting in college. A large oil painting hangs above the mantel.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Republicans raised $11,000 in donations to commission the oil painting, Colorado Public Radio reported. Emma Bowman, NPR, 7 Apr. 2025 An oil painting of Pendergast with his racehorse, Climax, is a focal point, surrounded by horse-racing medals and trophies. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2025 House Democrats said last month that the oil painting would be taken down at the request of Republican legislative leaders. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025 Image An untitled oil painting by George Morrison from 1965 charts two-dimensional topographies dissected by grid lines. Petala Ironcloud, New York Times, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for oil painting

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of oil painting was in 1699

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Cite this Entry

“Oil painting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oil%20painting. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

oil painting

noun
: a painting done with oil paints

More from Merriam-Webster on oil painting

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