war paint

noun

1
: paint put on parts of the body (such as the face) by American Indians as a sign of going to war
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 In the song’s video, Giz sings to the camera with his face covered in pink war paint, matching his breathtaking pink suit accentuated by blue and green feathers. Millan Verma, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 This is my war paint. Kelly Boutsalis, refinery29.com, 22 June 2021 My father used to call it war paint. Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 Apr. 2021 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 Upon applying war paint-like ash to her face, Teonna fills a pillow case with a literal stack of bibles. Matt Cabral, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2023 The intricate blue-green design that decorates the face resembles New Zealand Maori war paint, which is the root of its alternative name, the Maori Wrasse. Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2022 There is no need to wash your makeup off with harsh chemicals anymore; Farmacy’s Clearly Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm is a natural way to wipe off your war paint at the end of each day. The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 May 2022 Because season one's events existed in a vacuum — a time loop, to be exact — that war paint was exactly the same in every single episode: electric blue, graphic eyeliner. Taylore Glynn, Allure, 20 Apr. 2022

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

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of war paint was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near war paint

Cite this Entry

“War paint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20paint. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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