painting

noun

paint·​ing ˈpān-tiŋ 

1

: a product of painting

especially : a work produced through the art of painting

2

: the art or occupation of painting

Synonyms of painting

• canvas
• mural
• watercolor

Examples of painting in a Sentence

They hung the painting in the living room.

The woman in that painting is my grandmother.

I like painting more than sculpture.

He is studying abstract painting.

She wants to devote all her time to painting.

The room is ready for painting.

Recent Examples on the Web

Other sufferers, however, who submitted entries to the 1983 Migraine Art Competition, depicted their pain in drawings and paintings of nails, needles, axes, ice picks, arrows, bolts, jaws, chisels, shivs, guns, red-hot spears, sledgehammers, devils, and long pins. —Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026

About 60 pieces are on display, including paintings, sculptures and works on paper. —La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026

Today, Stuart’s unfinished painting, known as the Athenaeum portrait, has become one of the most memorable images of America’s first president. —Andrew Aoyama, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026

In the painting, darkness is broken by a figure in bright turquoise silk, which inspired the collection’s tension between traditional religious ideals and personal spiritual beliefs. —Mary Wenthur, Footwear News, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing painting

• action painting
• cave painting
• finger painting
• no oil painting
• oil painting
• wall painting

Rhymes for painting

• fainting
• tainting
• acquainting
• repainting

Kids Definition

painting

noun

paint·​ing

1

: a painted work of art

2

: the art or occupation of painting