picture

[ pik-cher ]

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. pictures, Older Use. 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)

, pic·tured, pic·tur·ing.

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

/ 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 ) pictorial

      picture postcard

      picture gallery

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. the pictures
    a cinema or film show
11. another name for tableau vivant
12. get the picture informal.
    to understand a situation
13. in the picture
    informed about a given situation

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

Other Words From

• pic·tur·a·ble adjective
• pic·tur·a·ble·ness noun
• pic·tur·a·bly adverb
• pic·tur·er noun
• mis·pic·ture verb (used with object) mispictured mispicturing
• self-pic·tured adjective
• un·pic·tured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of picture¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of picture¹

C15: from Latin pictūra painting, from pingere to paint

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with picture , also see get the message (picture) ; in the picture ; pretty as a picture ; take a picture ; the picture .

Example Sentences

"We can now see the bigger picture of an individual horse's paternal ancestry."

From Science Daily

They are slick and professional, with pictures of boats and people looking joyous as they arrive in Greece.

From BBC

Assumption: “Wicked” is an undeniable best picture contender.

From Los Angeles Times

As layers are peeled back, a more complex picture comes into focus.

From New York Times

"By looking at a longer time period, and using photos to track diet and nutrition, we're able to get a much richer and more precise picture of what people actually ate."

From Science Daily

Related Words

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

More About Picture

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 deeper

The 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.

Did you know ... ?

As we noted in the previous section, picture ultimately comes from the Latin verb pingere. Picture is not the only word English gets from this root, however.

Pingere evolved into the Old French peindre, whose past participle was peint, source of the English paint and related forms. That means a painting, etymologically speaking, is a picture.

Did you know these words are also rooted in the Latin pingere, “to paint”?

• depiction
• pigment
• pimento
• pinto