CARTOON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cartoon mean? 

• CARTOON (noun)
  The noun CARTOON has 2 senses:

1. a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine

2. a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence

  Familiarity information: CARTOON used as a noun is rare.

• CARTOON (verb)
  The verb CARTOON has 1 sense:

1. draw cartoons of

  Familiarity information: CARTOON used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CARTOON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

cartoon; sketch

Hypernyms ("cartoon" is a kind of...):

humor; humour; wit; witticism; wittiness (a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cartoon"):

anime (a style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art and often adult themes)

cartoon strip; comic strip; funnies; strip (a sequence of drawings telling a story in a newspaper or comic book)

Holonyms ("cartoon" is a part of...):

publication (a copy of a printed work offered for distribution)

Derivation:

cartoon (draw cartoons of)

cartoonist (a person who draws cartoons)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

animated cartoon; cartoon; toon

Hypernyms ("cartoon" is a kind of...):

short subject (a brief film; often shown prior to showing the feature)

Derivation:

cartoon (draw cartoons of)

cartoonist (a person who draws cartoons)

• CARTOON (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they cartoon    ... he / she / it cartoons   
Past simple: cartooned   
Past participle: cartooned   
-ing form: cartooning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Draw cartoons of

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "cartoon" is one way to...):

draw (represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

cartoon (a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence)

cartoon (a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine)

cartoonist (a person who draws cartoons)

 Context examples 

A pain measurement tool that uses drawn representations of cartoon faces (of the "smiley face" variety) that rage from frowning and grimacing to smiling heartily.

(Facial Affective Scale, NCI Thesaurus)

Ganymede's ocean might be organized like a Dagwood sandwich, said Steve Vance of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, explaining the moon's resemblance to the Blondie cartoon character's multi-tiered sandwiches.

(Ganymede may harbor 'club sandwich' of oceans and ice, NASA)

This resulted in a ghostlike appearance, leading to a comment on social media that it should be called Casper, like the friendly cartoon ghost.

(Deep Discoverer Discovers a Very Deep, Ghostlike Octopod, NOAA)

Naruto is a Japanese cartoon ninja character who runs with his arms behind his back.

(Millions don't turn up to 'storm' US airbase for extraterrestrial evidence, Wikinews)

Examples include, but are not limited to, airplane, apple, cartoon characters, heart, kidney, shield, and train shapes.

(Freeform, NCI Thesaurus)

In 2020, Jupiter in this house will bring your guardian angel—not the kind of angel you see in Disney cartoons, but a real-life VIP who will notice your good work and want to go out on a limb to help you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I enjoyed the trips to Hampton Court and the Kensington Museum more than anything else, for at Hampton I saw Raphael's cartoons, and at the Museum, rooms full of pictures by Turner, Lawrence, Reynolds, Hogarth, and the other great creatures.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The common depiction of these animals in cartoons and movies and as toys has led to what the authors call virtual populations — people believe the animals are not at risk of extinction in the wild because they appear to be everywhere.

(Study: Popularity of Wildlife Can Harm Public's Perception, VOA)