picture

1 of 2

noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər How to pronounce picture (audio)
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
c
pictures plural : movies
5
6
: situation
took a hard look at his financial picture

picture

2 of 2

verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ How to pronounce picture (audio)
ˈpik-shriŋ

transitive verb

1
: to form a mental image of : imagine
2
: to describe graphically in words
3
: to paint or draw a representation, image, or visual conception of : depict
also : illustrate

Examples of picture in a Sentence

Noun 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. Verb 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 on the Web
Noun
Experts caution against attributing a person’s suicide to a single cause, and friends and family acknowledge work problems alone don’t paint a full picture. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 On Mother's Day, under enormous pressure, Kate posted a picture of herself and her children, said to be taken by Prince William earlier in the month, to her official Instagram account. Elle Turner, Glamour, 15 Mar. 2024 As the playoff picture caboose, Golden State has significant ground to make up. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Kay Deininger, 74, took a picture of the QR code in the window that will give her the Republican sample ballot with all the names. The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 Dodd has met thousands of people named Logan (inspired by Wolverine’s real name), and receives ultrasound pictures of future Logans-to-be. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 The album will not likely have much of a presence on streaming, but should sell fairly well – helped by five vinyl variants, including an indie retailer exclusive red-color vinyl and an artist-webstore-only picture disc, as well as three CD editions, including exclusives for both Target and Amazon. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 Satellite pictures analyzed by The Associated Press from Planet Labs PBC showed smaller boats alongside the Rubymar on Wednesday. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2024 Mark Williams’ rural Independence neighborhood is usually quiet — picture horses, big houses and sprawling yards. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
The King has also been pictured attending church at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate with his wife, Queen Camilla. Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Featuring performances from pop superstar Rihanna and magician David Blaine, the three-day celebration welcomed around 1,200 guests from Silicon Valley, Bollywood and beyond, with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and actor Shah Rukh Khan among the many Indian celebrities pictured in attendance. Oscar Holland, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 Jose Menendez, top row, second from left, is pictured with former members of Menudo in 1983, including Roy Rossello, bottom right. Natalie Morales, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024 As an example, picture an e-commerce site that partners with one vendor for payment processing, another unrelated vendor for customer support and a third for inventory management. Suren Avunjian, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The flags of Dublin, left, and Ireland, right, join the flag of California and the United States (not pictured), as San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks at a flag-raising ceremony for the San Jose-Dublin Sister City Program at San Jose City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 Take in the morning rays at Black Bear Bread Co. (pictured) in Grayton Beach, and enjoy the pastel swirls of sunset at Pescado's rooftop in Rosemary Beach. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 His ready-to-wear designs reference family archives from the mid-80s to the early 2000s, as well as historical figures like the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, pictured on a hoodie. Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Swift was photographed stepping out for dinner in the city's Surry Hills on Tuesday, the same day as her man was pictured in Vegas. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'picture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of picture was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near picture

Cite this Entry

“Picture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picture. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

picture

1 of 2 noun
pic·​ture ˈpik-chər How to pronounce picture (audio)
1
: a design or image made on a surface (as by painting, drawing, or photography)
2
a
: a clear description in words
the book gives us a picture of another way of life
b
: a mental image : idea
do you get the picture?
3
: a particular combination of circumstances : situation
an improvement of the economic picture
4
a
: an exact likeness : copy
b
: a perfect symbol of something : embodiment
the picture of health
5
a
: an image on a screen
picture adjective

picture

2 of 2 verb
pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ How to pronounce picture (audio)
ˈpik-shriŋ
1
: to draw or paint a picture of : depict
2
: to describe vividly
3
: to form a mental image of : imagine

More from Merriam-Webster on picture

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