Picture Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms picture American [pik-cher] / ˈpɪk tʃər /

noun

1. a visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc..

   I carry a picture of my grandchild in my wallet.

2. any visible image, however produced.

   pictures reflected in a pool of water.

3. a mental image.

   a clear picture of how he had looked that day.

4. a particular image or reality as portrayed in an account or description; depiction; version.

5. a tableau, as in theatrical representation.

6. 1. a movie.

      He signed a three-picture deal to star in the new franchise.

   2. Older Use. pictures, movies collectively, as an art; cinema.

      So, you want to be in pictures?

7. a person, thing, group, or scene regarded as resembling a work of pictorial art in beauty, fineness of appearance, etc..

   She was a picture in her new blue dress.

8. the image or perfect likeness of someone else.

   He is the picture of his father.

9. a visible or concrete embodiment of some quality or condition.

   the picture of health.

10. a situation or set of circumstances.

    the economic picture.

11. the image on a computer monitor, the viewing screen of a television set, or a motion-picture screen.

verb (used with object)

pictured, picturing

1. to represent in a picture or pictorially, as by painting or drawing.

   Synonyms: represent, draw, paint, delineate

2. to form a mental picture of; imagine.

   He couldn't picture himself doing such a thing.

3. to depict in words; describe graphically.

   He pictured Rome so vividly that you half-believed you were there.

   Synonyms: represent, draw, paint, delineate

4. to present or create as a setting; portray.

   His book pictured the world of the future.

picture British / ˈpɪktʃə /

noun

1. 1. a visual representation of something, such as a person or scene, produced on a surface, as in a photograph, painting, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      picture gallery

      picture postcard

2. a mental image or impression

   a clear picture of events

3. a verbal description, esp one that is vivid

4. a situation considered as an observable scene

   the political picture

5. a person or thing that bears a close resemblance to another

   he was the picture of his father

6. a person, scene, etc, considered as typifying a particular state or quality

   the picture of despair

7. a beautiful person or scene

   you'll look a picture

8. a complete image on a television screen, comprising two interlaced fields

9. 1. a motion picture; film

   2. ( as modifier )

      picture theatre

10. a cinema or film show

11. another name for tableau vivant

12. informal to understand a situation

13. informed about a given situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to visualize or imagine

2. to describe or depict, esp vividly

3. (often passive) to put in a picture or make a picture of

   they were pictured sitting on the rocks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 picture Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing picture

• get the message (picture)
• in the picture
• pretty as a picture
• take a picture
• the picture

Usage

Where does picture come from? A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. But what about the word picture? We’re not going to write a thousand words on picture—although we could. Believe us when we say we could. So, here’s a briefer word picture (see what we did there?) on the origin of this versatile word.In its most general sense, a picture is a visual representation of something, especially in the form of a painting, drawing, photograph, or the like. A picture can also refer to a mental image, among other senses. One meaning of picture, as a verb, is “to represent something in a picture or pictorially”—pictorial being a related adjective form variously used to refer to pictures.The word picture entered English around 1375–1425, borrowed directly from the Latin word pictūra, “the act of painting, a painting.” The word is based on pict(us), the past participle of the verb pingere, meaning “to paint.” The verb could also mean “to draw, embroider, represent,” among other senses. The second part of pictūra is -ūra, a noun suffix represented as -ure in English. See our entry at -ure to learn more about this suffix.Dig deeperThe meaning of the word picture has been very stable in English. Just as it originally did in the late 1300s, a picture can still refer to a drawing or painting— whether it’s your kid’s crayon-scrawled family portrait on your fridge or Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Both are masterpieces, as far as we’re concerned. Please note, though, that when referring to formal or professional works, we often use the name of the medium (painting, photograph, film), with picture referring to more informal or amateur creations.But picture has also been remarkably adaptable, readily lending itself to images created by new technologies: photography, cinema, TV, and all the pictures we take on our smartphones and post on social media.The word movie—it’s easy to forget in an age of Netflix streaming and viral TikTok videos—is shortened from the phrase moving picture. And what are digital images composed of? Tiny pixels. That word is based on pix, a variant of pics, a common shortening of picture. A picture, we might say today, is worth (many) thousands of pixels.

Other Word Forms

• mispicture verb (used with object)
• picturable adjective
• picturableness noun
• picturably adverb
• picturer noun
• self-pictured adjective
• unpictured adjective

Etymology

Origin of picture

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin pictūra “the act of painting, a painting,” equivalent to pict(us) (past participle of pingere “to paint” ) + -ūra noun suffix; paint, -ure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some leaders, producers and directors were not amused by Goldberg, saying her remarks were insulting and dismissive of a serious fight to gain diversity within the motion picture industry.

From Los Angeles Times

The big picture is that while stocks often move closer to in unison—the majority often rise or fall at the same time to varying degrees—that isn’t happening right now.

From Barron's

Then, when his parents explained it a little better, he pictured crates in locked rooms, the doors covered with Easter Seals.

From Literature

I picture a ring of black rocks jutting out from the shore, stark against the blue sea—and bobbing ridiculously around in this idyllic pool, twenty coconuts waiting to be a raft.

From Literature

“Bigger picture, we are still in the very beginning of the next industrial revolution,” as agentic and physical AI are deployed and adopted, Muse said.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• account
• art
• cartoon
• copy
• depiction
• description
• drawing
• figure
• icon
• image
• impression
• painting
• photo
• photograph
• piece
• portrait
• portrayal
• print
• report
• sketch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.