picture

1 of 2

noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

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

: movie sense 1

c

pictures plural : movies

5

: tableau sense 2

6

: situation

took a hard look at his financial picture

picture

2 of 2

verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

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

Synonyms of picture

Noun

• portrait
• image
• depiction
• illustration

Verb

• depict
• portray
• image

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

The Department of State, which handles visa applications from abroad, has not released its full 2025 data, but the numbers through September show a similar picture. — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 23 June 2026

Some Mars scientists say SkyFall also won’t meaningfully inform other big-picture research questions, such as digging into the planet’s history or understanding how its surface and atmosphere interact. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 22 June 2026

Verb

Several dogs were pictured chained to trees or metal stakes. — Julia Coin june 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2026

In May 2024, Lisa and Arnault were pictured together at the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Kith Launch Celebration in Miami. — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026

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

Phrases Containing picture

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• (as) pretty as a picture
• big picture
• B picture
• enter the picture
• enter the picture/scene
• get the picture
• in the picture
• keep someone in the picture
• motion picture
• moving picture
• out of the picture
• paint a rosy picture
• paint/draw a picture of
• picture book
• picture card
• picture frame
• picture hat
• picture-perfect
• picture-postcard
• picture puzzle
• picture tube
• picture window
• picture writing
• put someone in the picture
• the picture of
• the picture of health

Rhymes for picture

• stricture

Kids Definition

picture

1 of 2 noun

pic·​ture ˈpik-chər 

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

b

: motion picture

picture adjective

picture

2 of 2 verb

pictured; picturing ˈpik-chə-riŋ 

ˈpik-shriŋ

1

: to draw or paint a picture of : depict

2

: to describe vividly

3

: to form a mental image of : imagine