paint
paint — noun
1. a colored liquid that you put on walls, doors, and other surfaces so they change
a colored liquid that you put on walls, doors, and other surfaces so they change color and are often protected after it dries
We chose white paint for the kitchen walls last weekend.
noun: paint for walls
Fresh paint on the bench stuck to Owen's school trousers.
collocation: fresh paint
The old gate needs a new coat of paint before winter.
phrase: a coat of paint
Lina spilled green paint across the newspaper under the chair.
- white paint
- fresh paint
- wet paint
- a coat of paint
- paint for walls
Grammar Patterns
paint for walls or doors
a coat of paint
fresh or wet paint
Usage Note
Often uncountable when you mean the substance in general. It becomes countable in phrases like 'a coat of paint' when you mean one layer after it dries.
2. colors in tubes, pans, or blocks that people use for making pictures
colors in tubes, pans, or blocks that people use for making pictures
Mila set her paints beside the window before art class.
usual plural: paints
The box of paints had one bright orange pan missing.
phrase: box of paints
Sam bought water paints for his first school picture.
These paints dry fast, so Nora cleaned the brush early.
- a box of paints
- paints in tubes
- school paints
- water paints
- art paints
- watercolors
paints mixed with water, often sold in small pans
- acrylics
a modern type of artists' paint that dries quickly
- oils
artists' paints that dry more slowly and are often richer in texture
Grammar Patterns
a box of paints
buy paints for art class
paints in tubes or pans
Usage Note
This sense is often plural because people talk about several colors or several tubes together. Distinguish from sense 1, which usually means house paint for covering a surface.
Common Mistakes
3. colored makeup that is put on the face or body
colored makeup that is put on the face or body
The dancer's red paint was still on her cheeks at dinner.
makeup sense: paint on the cheeks
Stage paint made Ben look much older under the school lights.
collocation: stage paint
Maya washed the blue paint from her face after the parade.
The clown kept extra paint in a small tin backstage.
- face paint
- stage paint
- red paint on the cheeks
- wash off the paint
- makeup
the broad everyday word for cosmetics in general
- face paint
usually used for designs, costumes, or games
- blush
only the colored makeup put on the cheeks
Grammar Patterns
face paint
stage paint
paint on the cheeks
Usage Note
This sense appears when the context is makeup, a costume, or a performance. Distinguish from sense 1, where the paint is for walls, wood, or other objects.
4. the marked rectangular area under the basket in basketball
the marked rectangular area under the basket in basketball
The center caught the pass deep in the paint and scored.
phrase: in the paint
Coach told the guards to drive into the paint early.
pattern: drive into the paint
Two defenders crowded the paint after the rebound bounced loose.
No one boxed out, so their team lost control of the paint.
- in the paint
- attack the paint
- protect the paint
- control the paint
- lane
a short common name for the same court area
- key
another basketball term, sometimes covering a slightly wider shape description
- free-throw lane
a more formal full name for the area
Grammar Patterns
in the paint
drive into the paint
control the paint
Usage Note
Used only in basketball. It often appears with the article in phrases like 'in the paint' or 'protect the paint'.
paint — verb
1. to put paint on a wall, object, or other surface, or to cover it with a new colo
to put paint on a wall, object, or other surface, or to cover it with a new color
Ethan painted the front door bright red before New Year.
object + adjective: paint the door red
Workers painted over the old sign outside the train station.
pattern: paint over + surface
On Saturday, we painted the fence while our dog slept nearby.
Grandma paints slowly, using a small brush for each window frame.
intransitive use: Grandma paints slowly
The landlord painted the bedroom after the last tenant moved out.
- paint a wall
- paint a fence
- paint the door red
- paint over a sign
- paint a bedroom
- strip
to remove the old paint from a surface
- scrape off
to take paint away instead of adding it
Grammar Patterns
paint a wall, fence, or door
paint something + color
paint over + old mark or surface
Usage Note
This is the only main sense that freely takes an object plus a result color, as in 'paint the wall blue'. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is the person or scene shown in the picture, not the surface receiving paint.
Common Mistakes
2. to create a picture with paints, or to show a person or scene in a painted pictu
to create a picture with paints, or to show a person or scene in a painted picture
Nora painted a quiet beach from her family trip to Kenting.
transitive: paint a scene
After lunch, the children painted at the long table outside.
intransitive use: the children painted
Mr. Lin painted his dog sleeping under the orange tree.
paint + person or thing shown
Ada likes to paint late at night when the house is still.
- paint a picture
- paint a portrait
- paint a beach scene
- paint at night
- paint from a trip
Grammar Patterns
paint a picture, portrait, or scene
paint somebody or something
paint at home or in class
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is what appears in the picture, not the board, wall, or cloth that receives the paint.
Common Mistakes
3. to put colored makeup on your face, nails, or another body part
to put colored makeup on your face, nails, or another body part
Jill painted her nails dark green before the concert.
pattern: paint your nails + color
The actor painted his face white for the ghost scene.
pattern: paint your face + color
Before the parade, Rosa painted stars on both cheeks.
paint a design on the skin
The team painted the children's arms in school colors.
- paint your nails
- paint your face
- paint stars on cheeks
- paint arms in team colors
Grammar Patterns
paint your nails
paint your face
paint a design on the skin
Usage Note
The object is usually a body part such as nails, face, lips, or arms. Unlike sense 1, the color or design is cosmetic rather than part of a house or object.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
For verb/1, paint is the normal word when you put actual paint on a surface such as a wall, fence, or door. Color is broader: you can color with pencils, dye, or paint, so it does not always suggest house paint. Coat focuses on covering something with a layer, and the layer may be paint, oil, or chocolate. Decorate shifts the idea toward making something look more attractive, so paint may be only one part of the job. Compare: We painted the kitchen white last spring. The children colored the poster with thick markers. The baker coated the cake with chocolate, and the team decorated the hall with paper flowers and lights.
Common collocations
Etymology
Paint came into English through French from a Latin verb meaning 'to color, draw, or decorate'. The idea first centered on putting color onto a surface, and from that the word naturally also came to name the colored substance itself.