war paint
noun
1
: painted marks and designs worn ritually on the face and body by members of various Indigenous American communities (as when going to war or for ceremonial dress)
2
Examples of war paint in a Sentence
a picture of a chief dressed in a headdress and war paint
She piled on the war paint.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Brazilian government wanted to have a symbolic event close to the world-famous Amazon rainforest—where politicians will likely meet with Indigenous communities wearing suits, while taking photos wearing war paint.
—
Gabriel Leão, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Since launching back in 2019, Storyteller has become a master of Sprinter 144 AWD camper vans, installing everything from beastly off-road packages, to stealthy war paint, to Swiss Army-grade interior versatility.
—New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2025
Their textured human faces, complete with war paint and a five-o’-clock shadow, were mercilessly rendered into a few similarly shaded squares.
—Yussef Cole, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
On stage, drag artist Aphrodite Banks is a femme fatale: Caked in war paint, with a waterfall of braids whipping around her waist, she’s possessed of the white-hot glare and forthright confidence to match her Amazonian height and bearing.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for war paint
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.
Gabriel Leão, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Since launching back in 2019, Storyteller has become a master of Sprinter 144 AWD camper vans, installing everything from beastly off-road packages, to stealthy war paint, to Swiss Army-grade interior versatility.
—New Atlas, 27 Mar. 2025
Their textured human faces, complete with war paint and a five-o’-clock shadow, were mercilessly rendered into a few similarly shaded squares.
—Yussef Cole, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
On stage, drag artist Aphrodite Banks is a femme fatale: Caked in war paint, with a waterfall of braids whipping around her waist, she’s possessed of the white-hot glare and forthright confidence to match her Amazonian height and bearing.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for war paint
Cite this Entry
“War paint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20paint. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share