photograph

1 of 2

noun

pho·​to·​graph ˈfō-tə-ˌgraf How to pronounce photograph (audio)
Synonyms of photographnext
: a picture or likeness obtained by photography

photograph

2 of 2

verb

photographed; photographing; photographs

transitive verb

: to take a photograph of

intransitive verb

1
: to take a photograph
2
: to appear as an image in a photograph
an actress who photographs well

Examples of photograph in a Sentence

Noun I always take a lot of photographs when I travel. the old photograph was faded but still clear enough to make out Verb He photographed the women sitting on the bench. She was photographed in the studio.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
There is no photograph of the dress online. Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 14 May 2026 The photograph in question showed Ai’s finger in front of Tiananmen Gate. Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Verb
As polished-glam and old-Hollywood as the references were, there were moments that also felt sleazy and fun in the way that Hollywood in 2007 did, when getting photographed pouring out of a car on the way into the club was a rite of passage and full of its own twisted promise. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026 Roughly 2,000 to 3,000 galaxies have been photographed here with great observatory instruments. Joe Rao, Space.com, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for photograph

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1839, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of photograph was in 1839

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Photograph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photograph. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

photograph

1 of 2 noun
pho·​to·​graph ˈfōt-ə-ˌgraf How to pronounce photograph (audio)
: a picture obtained by photography

photograph

2 of 2 verb
1
: to take a photograph of
2
: to take photographs
3
: to be photographed
photographer
fə-ˈtäg-rə-fər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on photograph

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster