paint

verb

ˈpānt 

painted; painting; paints

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to apply color, pigment, or paint to

(2)

: to color with a cosmetic

b(1)

: to apply with a movement resembling that used in painting

(2)

: to treat with a liquid by brushing or swabbing

paint the wound with iodine

2

a(1)

: to produce in lines and colors on a surface by applying pigments

(2)

: to depict by such lines and colors

b

: to decorate, adorn, or variegate by applying lines and colors

c

: to produce or evoke as if by painting

paints glowing pictures of the farm

3

: to touch up or cover over by or as if by painting

4

: to depict as having specified or implied characteristics

… believes there is a campaign … to paint him as a villain …

—Craig Neff and Jill Lieber

intransitive verb

1

: to practice the art of painting

2

: to use cosmetics

Synonyms of paint

• describe
• portray
• depict
• render
• set out

Examples of paint in a Sentence

I need to paint the bookcase.

We're going to paint the room yellow.

The classroom wall was painted with clouds and rainbows.

He painted that portrait of his wife.

She painted the landscape on a square canvas.

I like to draw and my sister likes to paint.

The beauty of the world inspires me to paint.

He paints mostly in oils.

The study paints a bleak picture of the effects of pollution on animal life.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Pixar’s Cars, the Cozy Cone Motel was inspired by the Blue Swallow Motel, and Bob Dylan even stopped to paint it around 2019. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026

If nothing else, that painted the RedHawks as a heavy favorite for the rematch. —Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026

Candidates with backgrounds in farming, organized labor, firefighting, or military service have become increasingly attractive recruits, but those biographies also invite scrutiny from opponents eager to paint them as political insiders. —Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026

And given that the UFC is already doing weigh-ins right there at the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool is newly painted, why not throw a spring-break-style rager for the overflow crowd? —Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French paint, peint, past participle of peindre, from Latin pingere to tattoo, embroider, paint; akin to Old English fāh variegated, Greek poikilos variegated, pikros sharp, bitter

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a(2)

Phrases Containing paint

• American paint horse
• back/paint oneself into a corner
• face paint
• finger paint
• luminous paint
• oil paint
• paint a rosy picture
• paint/draw a picture of
• paint horse
• paint over
• paint the town (red)
• paint thinner
• spray paint
• war paint

Rhymes for paint

• faint
• feint
• maint
• plaint
• quaint
• saint
• taint
• acquaint
• complaint
• constraint
• distraint
• repaint

Kids Definition

paint

1 of 2 verb

ˈpānt 

1

: to apply paint or a covering or coloring substance to

paint a wall

2

a

: to make a picture or design by using paints

paint a portrait

b

: to describe clearly

paint a scene in words

3

: to practice the art of painting

paint

2 of 2 noun

1

: makeup sense 2

2

: a mixture of coloring matter and a suitable liquid to form a thin coating when spread on a surface