picture
picture — noun
1. something you can look at, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, made to r
something you can look at, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, made to represent someone, somewhere, or an object
Lena hung a wedding picture above the piano in the living room.
hang a picture on + wall
The child drew a bright picture of her dog in class.
draw a picture of + animal
Please email me the picture from our trip to Tainan.
A small picture of his grandmother stood beside the bed.
a picture of + person
- family picture
- picture frame
- draw a picture
- hang a picture
Grammar Patterns
a picture of + person or thing
draw or paint a picture
hang a picture on + wall
Usage Note
Often followed by `of` plus the person or thing shown. Common verbs are `draw`, `paint`, `take`, `hang`, and `frame`.
2. the visual part that appears on a television, projector, or movie screen
the visual part that appears on a television, projector, or movie screen
The picture froze during the storm, but the sound continued.
picture contrasted with sound
Can you adjust the picture on the classroom projector?
adjust the picture
The picture looked too dark until Ben changed the TV settings.
From the back row, the picture filled the whole screen.
- picture quality
- clear picture
- adjust the picture
- frozen picture
Grammar Patterns
the picture on + screen
adjust the picture
a clear or dark picture
Usage Note
Often appears with words such as `screen`, `TV`, `projector`, `signal`, or `settings`. Distinguish from sense 1, which is a photo or drawing you can keep.
3. an image you see in your head when you remember or imagine a person, place, or e
an image you see in your head when you remember or imagine a person, place, or event
I still have a clear picture of the beach at sunset.
a clear picture of + place
When Mia said old red house, a picture formed in my mind.
picture formed in my mind
The song brought back a picture of our school bus.
A picture of her face stayed in my head all day.
- clear picture in your mind
- picture of his face
- picture formed in my mind
- bring back a picture
- image
a broad word for something seen in the mind or on a surface
- impression
focuses more on the feeling or idea left in your mind
- memory
used when the image comes from the past rather than pure imagination
Grammar Patterns
a picture of + memory
have a picture in your mind
a clear picture of + place
Usage Note
Often used with `of` or with phrases such as `in your mind` and `in your head`. Distinguish from sense 1: no real photo or drawing has to exist.
Common Mistakes
4. the general state of things in a place, group, or area of life
the general state of things in a place, group, or area of life
The jobs picture has improved since the new bridge opened.
noun modifier + picture
The health picture in mountain villages is slowly getting better.
the picture in + place
Those closed shops show only part of the picture downtown.
part of the picture
After the storm, the farming picture changed across the county.
- economic picture
- health picture
- part of the picture
- improve the picture
Grammar Patterns
the economic or health picture
part of the picture
the picture in + place
Usage Note
Usually singular and often modified by nouns such as `economic`, `health`, `jobs`, or `political`. Distinguish from sense 7, which is the description, not the actual state of affairs.
5. a movie, especially when people are speaking in an older style or in the film bu
a movie, especially when people are speaking in an older style or in the film business
We watched an old picture about jazz musicians in New York.
older word for movie
The studio plans to release the picture next spring.
release a picture
Her first picture won two awards at the Seoul festival.
After dinner, Grandpa still calls every movie a picture.
- release a picture
- star in a picture
- silent picture
- hit picture
Grammar Patterns
watch a picture
release a picture
star in a picture
Usage Note
Common in older speech and in film-industry talk. Distinguish from sense 6, which refers to movies in general or to the movie world.
6. movies as entertainment or as a line of work, usually in the plural form `pictur
movies as entertainment or as a line of work, usually in the plural form `pictures`
As a teenager, Nora dreamed of working in pictures.
work in pictures
That actor left pictures after the war and opened a hotel.
On rainy Saturdays, they went to the pictures downtown.
go to the pictures
Two brothers found steady work in pictures after the new studio opened.
find work in pictures
- go to the pictures
- work in pictures
- leave pictures
- find work in pictures
- cinema
the usual word for the art or world of films, especially in British English
- movies
the everyday plural term for films as entertainment
- film world
explicitly points to the business or cultural world of filmmaking
Grammar Patterns
go to the pictures
work in pictures
leave pictures
Usage Note
Usually appears in set plural phrases such as `go to the pictures` or `work in pictures`, not for one single film. Distinguish from sense 5, which means one movie.
Common Mistakes
7. a spoken or written description that helps you see a scene or situation in your
a spoken or written description that helps you see a scene or situation in your mind
Her letter gave a vivid picture of camp life.
give a picture of + life
The novel builds a sad picture of life near the port.
One short sentence gave a picture of the empty house.
The report offers a picture of daily life on the island.
offer a picture of + situation
- vivid picture of village life
- give a picture of events
- offer a picture of daily life
- build a picture of the town
- description
the broad everyday word for telling what something is like
- portrayal
more formal and often used for the way a person or world is presented
- sketch
can mean a short, selective description rather than a full one
Grammar Patterns
give a picture of + life or event
offer a picture of + place
a vivid picture of + scene
Usage Note
Often follows verbs such as `give`, `offer`, or `build` and is usually followed by `of`. Distinguish from sense 4, where picture means the actual overall situation.
Extremely attractive or beautiful.
Mia looked as pretty as a picture in her wedding dress.
Is that old cottage as pretty as a picture in spring?
be/look a picture
idiomTo be very beautiful or striking in appearance.
The sunset over the lake was a picture last evening.
With all those flowers, the garden looks a picture.
To show a particular quality or state very clearly.
After a week of rest, Sara was the picture of health.
When accused, he was the picture of guilt.
the big picture
idiomThe entire situation or perspective, not just the details.
We need to consider the big picture before making a decision.
Don't focus on minor issues; look at the big picture.
get the picture
idiomTo understand what is happening or being explained.
After his explanation, I finally got the picture.
You're not welcome here anymore. Do you get the picture?
Involved or not involved in a particular situation.
With the new manager in the picture, things changed quickly.
After the scandal, he was completely out of the picture.
To describe someone or something in a specific way, often emphasizing certain aspects.
The report paints a grim picture of the economy.
She painted a rosy picture of their future together.
To give someone the necessary information to understand a situation.
Please put me in the picture about the project status.
Keep your team in the picture by sharing updates regularly.
picture — verb
1. to see someone, something, or an event in your mind
to see someone, something, or an event in your mind
Picture the kitchen after ten children have baked cookies.
picture + noun phrase
Can you picture living on a boat all winter?
picture + -ing form
Rosa pictured how the room would look with yellow walls.
picture + question-word clause
At first, I could not picture his face without glasses.
- picture yourself on stage
- picture living abroad
- picture how it will look
- cannot picture his face
Grammar Patterns
picture + noun phrase
picture + -ing form
picture + how or what clause
Usage Note
Often takes a direct object for the image in your mind, an `-ing` form for an activity, or a `how` or `what` clause for details. Distinguish from verb sense 2, which is about presenting something to other people.
Common Mistakes
2. to create a strong image of someone or something, either in words or in a visual
to create a strong image of someone or something, either in words or in a visual work
The stamp pictures a crane standing in shallow water.
picture + scene or person
In the novel, the city is pictured as bright and cruel.
passive: be pictured as + adjective
Her diary pictured school life as noisy but warm.
picture + object + as + adjective
Newspapers pictured the town as a place of danger.
- picture someone as a hero
- be pictured as dangerous
- picture village life
- picture the king in words
Grammar Patterns
picture + object + as + noun or adjective
be pictured as + complement
picture + scene or person
Usage Note
Often takes `object + as + noun or adjective`, and passive use is common in reviews, history, and reporting. Distinguish from verb sense 1, which stays inside one person's imagination.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- pictorialadjectiveC1
- picturesqueadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Picture is the broad everyday word for something you look at, whether it is a drawing, painting, or photo. Image is wider and can sound more technical or abstract: a camera stores an image, and a company can have a public image. Photo is the usual word when a camera made it. Painting points specifically to art made with paint, while portrait is a picture of a person, especially one that tries to show the face or character. Illustration is another useful near-word when the picture explains a book or article. You can hang a picture in the hall, send a photo from your phone, admire a painting in a museum, or sit for a portrait in a studio.
Common collocations
Etymology
Picture came into English through French from Latin pictura, a word for painting. It is related to the Latin verb pingere, meaning to paint. At first the word mainly referred to painted or drawn representations, but English later widened it to include photographs, films, mental images, and ways of describing a situation.