What does "paint" mean?
A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied.
Paint
/peɪnt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied.
- Grammar: paint is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pigment, adorn, adorn, air brush.
- Useful contrasts: bare surface, colorless, erase.
- Usage evidence: The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet.
How to use "paint"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "paint" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "paint" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "paint" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "paint" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "paint" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pigment" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "paint", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A substance that is applied as a liquid or paste, and dries into a solid coating that protects or adds colour to an object or surface to which it has been applied. countable, uncountable
"fresh coat of paint"
- 2 A paint horse.
- 3 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 wordnet
- 4 A set of containers or blocks of paint of different colors/colours, used for painting pictures. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"René went back into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on, got out his paints and started on a new painting. He felt inspired."
- 5 makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 The free-throw lane, construed with the. countable, slang, uncountable
"The Nimrods are strong on the outside, but not very good in the paint."
- 7 (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 wordnet
- 8 Paintballs. slang, uncountable
"I am running low on paint for my marker."
- 9 Synonym of face card (king, queen, or jack). countable, slang, uncountable
- 10 Graphics drawn using an input device, not scanned or generated. attributive, countable, uncountable
"It combines traditional paint capabilities with photograph enhancement features."
- 11 Makeup. uncountable
"They were as plain and homely as a table-top dancer when the rains had wiped the paint and powder from her face."
- 12 Tattoo work. slang, uncountable
- 13 Any substance fixed with latex to harden it. countable, dated, uncountable
- 14 The appearance of an object on a radar screen. countable, uncountable
"Smaller target paints would also be preferred to those displayed on the existing DFTI."
Verb
- 1 To apply paint to. transitive
"I painted the bathroom walls light blue, and I painted the ceiling white."
- 2 apply paint to; coat with paint wordnet
- 3 To apply in the manner that paint is applied. transitive
- 4 apply a liquid to; e.g., paint the gutters with linseed oil wordnet
- 5 To apply with a brush in order to treat some body part. transitive
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 make a painting of wordnet
- 7 To cover (something) with spots of colour, like paint. transitive
"not painted with the crimson spots of blood"
- 8 make a painting wordnet
- 9 To create (an image) with paints. transitive
"to paint a portrait or a landscape"
- 10 To practise the art of painting pictures. intransitive
"I've been painting since I was a young child."
- 11 To draw an element in a graphical user interface. transitive
"Sent to a minimized window when the icon's background must be filled before it is painted."
- 12 To depict or portray. figuratively, transitive
"She sued the author of the biography, claiming it painted her as a duplicitous fraud."
- 13 To color one's face by way of beautifying it. intransitive
"Let her paint an inch thick."
- 14 To detect (something) with radar. slang, transitive
""We'll paint the target for the flyboys," the JTAC said."
- 15 To defecate or soil with faeces during anal sex. slang, transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "paint"?
Common synonyms include: pigment, adorn, adorn, air brush, airbrush, airbrushed.
How do you use "paint" in a sentence?
The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet.
How do you pronounce "paint"?
Pronounced /peɪnt/.
Etymology
From Middle English peynten, from Old French peintier, paincter, itself from paint, the past participle of paindre, from Latin pingō (“to paint”) (perfect passive participle pictus). Displaced native Old English tēafor (“paint”), *tīefran (“to paint”); and Old English mētan (“to paint”) and mǣlan (“to paint, mark with colour”).