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

Alice had her first baby in Cuba, with her husband, the painter Carlos Enríquez Gómez. — Merritt Tierce, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026

Calvin Marcus, the fanatically talented and free-wheeling Los Angeles painter, has new and recent paintings, drawings, and ceramics installed alongside work by the great Belgian weirdo James Ensor. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026

Indeed, the 18th century looks very scrubbed and pretty here, Cathal Watters’ handsome widescreen cinematography at times recalling the more idealizing 19th-century landscape painters. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026

His advisor cannot imagine why or how a Moroccan will write about one of the last great painters of the ancien régime. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 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 entry 1

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