paint — ODE · Shobdo

paint /peɪnt

▸ noun

1 [mass noun] a coloured substance which is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protective coating:

a tin of paint

[count noun] bituminous paints.

▪ [count noun] an act of painting something:

the house looked in need of a good paint.

▪ informal cosmetic make-up:

one has false curls, another too much paint.

▪ Computing the function or capability of producing graphics, especially those that mimic the effect of real paint:

[as modifier] a paint program.

2 North American English a piebald horse:

[as modifier] a paint mare.

3 [in singular] Basketball the rectangular area marked near the basket at each end of the court:

the two players jostled in the paint.

▸ verb [with object]

1 cover the surface of (something) with paint:

[with object and complement] the ceiling was painted dark grey.

▪ apply cosmetics to (the skin):

she couldn't have been more than fourteen but her face was thickly painted.

▪ apply (a liquid) to a surface with a brush.

2 depict (someone or something) or produce (a picture) with paint:

I painted a woman sitting next to a table lamp

he paints landscapes and portraits.

▪ give a description of:

the city is not as bad as it is painted.

▪ Computing create (a graphic or screen display) using a paint program:

the program enables you to paint images on your screen.

3 display a mark representing (an aircraft or vehicle) on a radar screen:

flying behind hills lessens the enemy's ability to paint you with radar.

– PHRASES

like watching paint dry (of an activity or experience) extremely boring.

paint a picture of
describe (someone or something) in a particular way:

the president painted a grim picture of life in the next century.

paint oneself into a corner
leave oneself no means of escape or room to manoeuvre.

paint the town red (also paint the town) informal
go out and enjoy oneself flamboyantly:

you want to have a good time and paint the town red this weekend.

– PHRASAL VERBS

paint out (paint something out, paint out something) efface something with paint:

the markings on the plane were hurriedly painted out.

paint up Australian English (in Aboriginal English) decorate the body for ceremonial purposes:

the dancers generally help one another to paint up.

– DERIVATIVES

paintable adjective

painty adjective

– ORIGIN Middle English: from peint ‘painted’, past participle of Old French peindre, from Latin pingere ‘to paint’.