painter

1 of 3

noun (1)

paint·​er ˈpān-tər 

: one that paints: such as

a

: an artist who paints

b

: one who applies paint especially as an occupation

painter

2 of 3

noun (2)

pain·​ter ˈpān-tər 

: a line used for securing or towing a boat

painter

3 of 3

noun (3)

pain·​ter ˈpān-tər 

: cougar sense 1

Examples of painter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026

His previous book, The Village Idiot (2022), explored the historical reality of the early-twentieth-century School of Paris artists from the dreamlike perspective of the expressionist painter Chaïm Soutine, who trudges beneath the Seine in a diving suit. —Cathleen Schine, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026

In Jodhpur, a 5-hour car ride away from Jaipur, painter Vijay Raj and his son guided us through the intricate world of Rajasthani miniature painting at Umaid Heritage Art School, a welcoming storefront in the old city. —Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026

Schnabel, though a Brooklyn native, grew up in the surfing border town of Brownsville, TX, a place that inspired him as both a painter and a filmmaker. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

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

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

Phrases Containing painter

• painter's colic

Rhymes for painter

• fainter

Kids Definition

painter

1 of 3 noun

paint·​er ˈpānt-ər 

: 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