war paint

noun

1. paint applied by American Indians to their faces and bodies before going to war.
2. Informal. makeup; cosmetics.
3. Informal. full dress; regalia.

war paint

noun

1. painted decoration of the face and body applied by certain North American Indians before battle
2. informal.
   finery or regalia
3. informal.
   cosmetics

Word History and Origins

Origin of war paint¹

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

Mostly clad in black and many with war paint on their faces, the mourners belonged to the tribal Kuki group, who are mostly Christian.

From BBC

“When you look at traditional war paint across the Americas, there’s no difference between that and corpse paint,” he said.

From New York Times

In 2020, the Chiefs banned headdresses and war paint in the stadium and pushed for cheerleaders to do the “chop” with a closed fist instead of an open hand.

From Seattle Times

It wasn’t until 2020 - when the Washington team first decided to change their name - that the Chiefs issued a ban on fans donning tribal headdresses, war paint and clothing at Arrowhead Stadium.

From Washington Times

This has unfortunately become the only way to be recognized as an Indigenous person by settlers: wearing long or braided hair, buckskin jackets, feathers and/or beads and war paint.

From Salon