paint

II. paint² S2 W3 BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑paint, ↑painter, ↑painting, repaint; verb: ↑paint, repaint; adjective: ↑painterly]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: peint, past participle of peindre 'to paint', from Latin pingere]
1. [intransitive and transitive] to put paint on a surface:
The ceiling needs painting.
brightly painted houses
paint something (in) blue/red/green etc
We painted the door blue.
Paint the walls in a contrasting colour.
The living room was painted in pastel shades of pink and blue.
2. [intransitive and transitive] to make a picture, design etc using paint:
A white cross was painted on the door.
Turner is famous for painting landscapes.
paint in oils/watercolours etc (=paint using a particular type of paint)
He paints mainly in acrylics.
3. [transitive] to put a coloured substance on part of your face or body to make it different or more attractive:
The children’s faces were painted to look like animals.
She’d painted her toenails with red nail polish.
4. [transitive] to describe someone or something in a particular way
paint somebody/something as something
She’s often been painted as a tough businesswoman.
paint a grim/rosy/gloomy picture of somebody/something
Dickens painted a grim picture of Victorian life.
The article painted him in a bad light (=described him in a way that made him seem bad).
5. paint the town (red) informal to go out to bars, clubs etc to enjoy yourself
⇨ not be as black as you are painted at ↑black¹(10)
paint something ↔ out phrasal verb
to cover part of a picture or sign with paint so that it can no longer be seen:
The name of the firm had been partially painted out.
paint over something phrasal verb
to cover a picture or surface with new paint:
Much of the original decoration was painted over.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

verb
1. transitive, intransitive ~ sth (with sth) to cover a surface or object with paint
• ~ (sth) We've had the house painted.
• Paint the shed with weather-resistant paint.
• a brightly painted barge

• ~ sth + adj./noun The walls were painted yellow.

2. transitive, intransitive to make a picture or design using paints
• ~ sth/sb to paint portraits
• A friend painted the children for me (= painted a picture of the children).
• ~ sth on sth Slogans had been painted on the walls.
• ~ (in sth) She paints in oils.

• My mother paints well.

3. transitive to give a particular impression of sb/sth
Syn: portray
• ~ sb/sth as sth The article paints them as a bunch of petty criminals.

• ~ sb/sth in… The documentary painted her in a bad light.

4. transitive ~ sth to put coloured make-up on your nails, lips, etc.
more at not as black as he/she/it is painted at black _adj.

Word Origin:
Middle English: from peint ‘painted’, past participle of Old French peindre, from Latin pingere ‘to paint’.
Thesaurus:
paint verb T
• The walls were painted yellow
stain • • dye • • tint • |BrE colour • |AmE color •
paint/stain/dye/tint/colour sth with sth
paint/stain/dye/tint/colour sth red/yellow/green, etc.
paint/stain wood
Collocations:
Fine arts
Creating art
make a work of art/a drawing/a sketch/a sculpture/a statue/engravings/etchings/prints
do an oil painting/a self-portrait/a line drawing/a rough sketch
create a work of art/an artwork/paintings and sculptures
produce paintings/portraits/oil sketches/his most celebrated work/a series of prints
paint a picture/landscape/portrait/mural/in oils/in watercolours/(especially US) in watercolors/on canvas
draw a picture/a portrait/a cartoon/a sketch/a line/a figure/the human form/in charcoal/in ink
sketch a preliminary drawing/a figure/a shape
carve a figure/an image/a sculpture/an altarpiece/reliefs/a block of wood
sculpt a portrait bust/a statue/an abstract figure
etch a line/a pattern/a design/a name into the glass
mix colours/(especially US) colors/pigments/paints
add/apply thin/thick layers of paint/colour/(especially US) color/pigment
use oil pastels/charcoal/acrylic paint/a can of spray paint
work in bronze/ceramics/stone/oils/pastels/watercolour/a wide variety of media
Describing art
paint/depict a female figure/a biblical scene/a pastoral landscape/a domestic interior
depict/illustrate a traditional/mythological/historical/religious theme
create an abstract composition/a richly textured surface/a distorted perspective
paint dark/rich/skin/flesh tones
use broad brush strokes/loose brushwork/vibrant colours/a limited palette/simple geometric forms
develop/adopt/paint in a stylized manner/an abstract style
Showing and selling art
commission an altarpiece/a bronze bust of sb/a portrait/a religious work/an artist to paint sth
frame a painting/portrait
hang art/a picture/a painting
display/exhibit modern art/sb's work/a collection/original artwork/ drawings/sculptures/a piece
be displayed/hung in a gallery/museum
install/place a sculpture in/at/on sth
erect/unveil a bronze/marble/life-size statue
hold/host/mount/open/curate/see (especially BrE) an exhibition/(NAmE usually) exhibit
be/go on (BrE) exhibition/(NAmE) exhibit
feature/promote/showcase a conceptual artist/contemporary works
collect African art/modern British paintings/Japanese prints
restore/preserve a fresco/great works of art
Collocations:
Decorating and home improvement
Houses
refurbish/renovate/ (BrE) do up a building/a house
convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially NAmE) apartments/(BrE) flats
extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
build (BrE) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(NAmE) an addition (on/to sth)/(BrE) a conservatory
knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
furnish/paint/ (especially BrE) decorate a home/house/apartment/flat/room
be decorated in bright colours/(especially US) colors/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(BrE) fittings
build/put up shelves
lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
DIY/home improvement
do (BrE) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
make home improvements
add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially BrE) the loft
fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially BrE) tap/(NAmE usually) faucet
block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
make/drill/fill a hole
hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
Example Bank:
• I like to paint on canvas.
• Paint the box all over with varnish.
• The walls had been painted very badly.
• We painted the walls light green.
• a crudely painted human figure
• an artist who usually paints in oils
• the cheerful, brightly painted doors
• A friend painted the children for me.
• My mother paints quite well.

• We've decided to have the house painted.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

paint / peɪnt / verb

A2 [ I or T ] to cover a surface with paint:
[ + obj + adj ] We've painted the bedroom blue.
I've been painting all morning.
I'll need to paint over (= cover with another layer of paint) these dirty marks on the wall.
A1 [ I or T ] to make a picture using paints:
All these pictures were painted by local artists.
[ T ] If someone paints their nails or face, they put make-up on that part of their body:
She painted her nails bright red.

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

3.
If you paint a wall or an object, you cover it with paint.
They started to mend the woodwork and paint the walls...
I made a guitar and painted it red.
...painted furniture.
VERB: V n, V n colour, V-ed, also V

4.
If you paint something or paint a picture of it, you produce a picture of it using paint.
He is painting a huge volcano...
Why do people paint pictures?...
I had come here to paint.
VERB: V n, V n, V

5.
When you paint a design or message on a surface, you put it on the surface using paint.
...a machine for painting white lines down roads...
The recesses are decorated with gold stars, with smaller stars painted along the edges.
VERB: V n prep, V-ed

6.
If a woman paints her lips or nails, she puts a coloured cosmetic on them.
She propped the mirror against her handbag and began to paint her lips...
She painted her fingernails bright red.
VERB: V n, V n colour

7.
If you paint a grim or vivid picture of something, you give a description of it that is grim or vivid.
The report paints a grim picture of life there...
VERB: V n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

²paint verb paints; paint·ed; paint·ing
1 [+ obj] : to cover (something) with paint : to put paint on (something)
• I need to paint the bookcase.
• We're going to paint the room yellow.
• The classroom wall was painted with clouds and rainbows.
2 : to make (a picture or design) by using paints

[+ obj]

• He painted that portrait of his wife.
• She painted the landscape on a square canvas.
• The store carries hand-painted tiles. [=tiles that have pictures or designs on them that were painted by a person and not by a machine]

[no obj]

• She paints well.
• I like to draw and my sister likes to paint.
• The beauty of the world inspires me to paint.
• He paints mostly in oils.
- compare draw
3 [+ obj] : to describe (someone or something) in a particular way
• The study paints a bleak/grim picture of the effects of pollution on animal life.
• Opponents paint a picture of the president as corrupt and irresponsible. = Opponents paint the president as corrupt and irresponsible.
4 [+ obj] : to put makeup on (a part of the body)
• She painted her nails with pink nail polish.
• She put on eye shadow and painted her lips with red lipstick.
paint over [phrasal verb] paint over (something) : to cover (something) with a layer of paint
• They painted over the graffiti.
paint the town (red) informal : to go out drinking, dancing, etc., to have a good time