picture

noun pic·ture \ ˈpik-chər \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Examples: picture in a Sentence

Definition of picture

1 : a design or representation made by various means (such as painting, drawing, or photography)

2 a : a description so vivid or graphic as to suggest a mental image or give an accurate idea of something

the book gives a detailed picture of what is happening

b : a mental image

3 : image, copy

he was the picture of his father

she was the very picture of health

4 a : a transitory visible image or reproduction

b : motion picture

c pictures plural : movies

5 : tableau 2

6 : situation

took a hard look at his financial picture

See picture defined for English-language learners

See picture defined for kids

Examples of picture in a Sentence

I hung the picture on the wall.
The book has a lot of pictures.
Draw a picture of your house.
The staff looked at the financial picture of the company.
The overall economic picture is improving.

Recent Examples of picture from the Web

The Madrid president will demand answers about where Ronaldo's future lies, meaning that the picture could be a lot clearer once talks have taken place.

— SI.com, "Florentino Perez Set for Crisis Talks With Cristiano Ronaldo's Agent Over Potential Juventus Move," 5 July 2018
But there’s a problem with the telegenic white people in the Kavanaugh picture: one of them is President George W. Bush.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Supreme Court Pageant Could Come Down to Looks," 5 July 2018
But once Armie Hammer enters the picture as the overlord of the nefarious corporation behind the telemarketing outfit, the movie loses its way in a welter of surreality.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Sorry to Bother You' eventually loses its way in a welter of surreality," 5 July 2018
As the film deepens its field of inquiry, though, the picture becomes more nuanced.

— ty burr, BostonGlobe.com, "When triplets are separated — then reunited," 4 July 2018
The artist pretended to make a quick sketch of the pair, then revealed the wedding-outfit picture; meanwhile, Brian dropped to one knee.

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Christy and Brian Fitzpatrick of Upper Dublin," 4 July 2018
According to USA Today, Talley shared the pictures from the June 2017 hunting trip on her Facebook page.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Kentucky Woman Posts Shocking Photos After Killing 'Rare' Black Giraffe, Says It Was for Conservation," 3 July 2018
Behind the grand sporting fiesta that awaits at the 2018 FIFA World Cup the tournament has been marred by a series of subplots that painted an ugly picture before the games even got underway.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel's father kidnapped during World Cup," 3 July 2018
Further complicating the picture, one visit could result in two test results if blood and urine samples are collected.

— karen crouse, New York Times, "For Tennis Players, Numbers in Antidoping Program Don’t Add Up," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'picture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of picture

Middle English, from Latin pictura, from pictus, past participle of pingere to paint — more at paint

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First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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picture Synonyms

Synonyms

abstraction, cogitation, concept, conception, idea, image, impression, intellection, mind's eye, notion, thought;

Near Antonyms

actuality, fact, reality;

preconception, prejudice, prepossession;

delusion, hallucination, illusion, phantasm (also fantasm);

caprice, conceit, fancy, vagary, whim;

cognition, observation, perception, reflection;

assumption, belief, conclusion, conviction;

conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmise, theory;

brainchild, brainstorm, brain wave, inspiration;

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

picture

verb

Definition of picture

pictured; picturing play \ˈpik-chə-riŋ, ˈpik-shriŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to paint or draw a representation, image, or visual conception of : depict; also : illustrate

2 : to describe graphically in words

3 : to form a mental image of : imagine

See picture defined for English-language learners

Examples of picture in a Sentence

I can still picture the house I grew up in.
I can't picture changing jobs at this point in my life.
Picture what it would be like if you didn't own a car.
Can you picture him as a teacher?

Recent Examples of picture from the Web

An Instagram photo Nick posted showed that all three of his brothers, including Frank, Kevin, and Joe were there to celebrate Independence Day together, but Chopra was not pictured.

— eileen reslen, Harper's BAZAAR, "Priyanka Chopra and Sophie Turner Went on a Bike Ride With the Jonas Brothers on the Fourth of July," 6 July 2018
Beautiful’ Fiancée Lauren At the end of June, the cast, including Vinny Guadagnino, Deena Cortese and Pauly DelVecchio, were pictured filming the new season in New Jersey.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Says His Wedding Will Air on Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 2," 5 July 2018
Only two weeks after Swift and Harris broke up in June 2016, she and the actor Tom Hiddleston were pictured kissing by a rocky beach near the same Rhode Island mansion.

— refinery29.com, "What It Means If Taylor Swift Skips Another Fourth Of July Party," 3 July 2018
She was also pictured adjusting something on the Duke of York's lapel as their eldest daughter watched.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Back in the Fold, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Spent Ascot in the Royal Box," 22 June 2018
What was uncharacteristic, however, was the green, hooded military jacket she was pictured wearing while boarding her jet at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

— mallorie sullivan, Cincinnati.com, "Melania Trump wears 'I don't care' jacket on trip to visit immigrant children in Texas," 21 June 2018
Trump’s effusive praise and warm smiles provided a notable contrast to the weekend’s acrimonious G-7 summit where he was pictured sitting with folded arms opposite Angela Merkel.

— NBC News, "Trump praises Kim at summit, but takes aim at Justin Trudeau," 12 June 2018
She was pictured laughing on a stool with her husband Jonigkeit (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot).

— lindsay weinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Zosia Mamet, Evan Jonigkeit Model J. Crew's New Political Tees," 31 May 2018
Kim Yong Chol has also already met at least one senior US official -- he was pictured greeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when the former CIA director visited Pyongyang earlier this month.

— jamie tarabay, CNN, "North Korea's go-to diplomat: What you need to know," 29 May 2018

First Known Use of picture

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

picture Synonyms

Synonyms

delineate, depict, describe, draw, image, limn, paint, portray, render, set out, sketch;

Near Antonyms

color, distort, falsify, garble, misdescribe, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, twist, warp;

demonstrate, illustrate;

narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report, tell;

display, exhibit, show;

hint, suggest;

draft, outline, silhouette, trace, vignette;

summarize, sum up, touch off;

redescribe, reimage;

PICTURE Defined for English Language Learners

picture

noun

Definition of picture for English Language Learners

: a painting, drawing, or photograph of someone or something
: an idea of how something or someone looks, of what something is like, etc.
: a general situation

picture

verb

Definition of picture for English Language Learners

: to have a thought, understanding, or idea about (something or someone)
: to show or represent (someone or something) in a painting, drawing, or photograph
: to describe (something or someone) in a particular way