PAINT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does paint mean? 

• PAINT (noun)
  The noun PAINT has 3 senses:

1. a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating

2. (basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court; usually painted a different color from the rest of the court

3. makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks

  Familiarity information: PAINT used as a noun is uncommon.

• PAINT (verb)
  The verb PAINT has 4 senses:

1. make a painting

2. apply paint to; coat with paint

3. make a painting of

4. apply a liquid to; e.g., paint the gutters with linseed oil

  Familiarity information: PAINT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PAINT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

paint; pigment

Context example:

artists use 'paint' and 'pigment' interchangeably

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

coat; coating (a thin layer covering something)

color; coloring material; colour; colouring material (any material used for its color)

Meronyms (substance of "paint"):

pigment (dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.))

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

antifouling paint (a paint used to protect against the accumulation of barnacles etc. on underwater surfaces)

coat of paint (a layer of paint covering something else)

distemper (paint made by mixing the pigments with water and a binder)

enamel (a paint that dries to a hard glossy finish)

encaustic (a paint consisting of pigment mixed with melted beeswax; it is fixed with heat after application)

finger paint; fingerpaint (paint that has the consistency of jelly)

house paint; housepaint (paint used to cover the exterior woodwork of a house)

oil paint (paint in which a drying oil is the vehicle)

semigloss (a paint that dries with a finish between glossy and flat)

spray paint (paint applied with a spray gun)

water-base paint (paint in which water is used as the vehicle)

acrylic; acrylic paint (used especially by artists)

Derivation:

paint (apply a liquid to; e.g., paint the gutters with linseed oil)

paint (make a painting of)

paint (make a painting)

paint (apply paint to; coat with paint)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court; usually painted a different color from the rest of the court

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

key; paint

Context example:

he dominates play in the paint

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

space (an area reserved for some particular purpose)

Meronyms (parts of "paint"):

foul line (a line from which basketball players take penalty shots)

Domain category:

basketball; basketball game; hoops (a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop)

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

basketball court (the court on which basketball is played)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

blusher; paint; rouge

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

make-up; makeup; war paint (cosmetics applied to the face to improve or change your appearance)

• PAINT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they paint    ... he / she / it paints   
Past simple: painted   
Past participle: painted   
-ing form: painting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make a painting

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

He painted a painting of the garden

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

create (pursue a creative activity; be engaged in a creative activity)

Domain category:

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

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "paint"):

finger-paint (apply colors with one's fingers)

stipple (apply (paint) in small dots or strokes)

bodypaint (apply paint to a body)

fresco (paint onto wet plaster on a wall)

distemper (paint with distemper)

charge (place a heraldic bearing on)

fill in; shade (represent the effect of shade or shadow on)

stipple (make by small short touches that together produce an even or softly graded shadow, as in paint or ink)

watercolor; watercolour (paint with watercolors)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue paint

Derivation:

paint (a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating)

painter (an artist who paints)

painting (creating a picture with paints)

painting (graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Apply paint to; coat with paint

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

We painted the rooms yellow

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

coat; surface (put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "paint"):

grain (paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood)

ground; prime; undercoat (cover with a primer; apply a primer to)

airbrush (paint with an airbrush)

repaint (paint again)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They want to paint the doors

Derivation:

paint (a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating)

painter (a worker who is employed to cover objects with paint)

painting (the occupation of a house painter)

painting (the act of applying paint to a surface)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make a painting of

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

He painted his mistress many times

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

interpret; represent (create an image or likeness of)

Domain category:

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

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "paint"):

repaint (paint again)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot paint Sue

Derivation:

paint (a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating)

painter (an artist who paints)

painting (creating a picture with paints)

painting (graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Apply a liquid to; e.g., paint the gutters with linseed oil

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

The men paint the boat

Derivation:

painting (the act of applying paint to a surface)

paint (a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating)

 Context examples 

The Scarecrow stuffed himself with fresh straw and Dorothy put new paint on his eyes that he might see better.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Read him well, and he will help you much, for the study of character in this book will help you to read it in the world and paint it with your pen.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Chromosome painting can be applied to cross-species comparisons as well as to the study of chromosomal rearrangements.

(Chromosome Painting, NCI Thesaurus)

And may I not paint one like it for you?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

"I believe it is the same place as the painted picture," said I.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In spray painting, pressurised gas forces direct particles towards a surface, creating a sort of deposited material.

(Scientists Develop Spray Gun to Paint Bandages onto Wounds, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

I promised Traddles that he should hear Dora sing, and see some of her flower-painting.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

"You have painted many pictures in the telling," I said.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The woodwork was cut, and the scratches showed white through the paint, as if they had been that instant done.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"I had that door painted only last week," Mr. Higginbotham half whined, half bullied; "and you know what union wages are. You should be more careful."

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)