Word
picture
Phoneticspic·ture
US/ˈpɪktʃɝ/
UK/pˈɪktʃɐ/
Definitions
01visual representation
n. an image of a person, place, or thing made by drawing, painting, or photography.
n. a visual representation of a subject on a surface, encompassing drawings, paintings, and photographs.
“The children drew a picture of their house with bright crayons.”
“The gallery features a diverse collection of pictures, ranging from eighteenth-century oil portraits to contemporary digital photography.”
Synonyms
02a photograph
n. a photo taken with a camera.
n. a synonym for photograph, frequently used in informal or general-service registers.
“Can I take a picture of you in front of the fountain?”
“He scrolled through his phone to find the picture he had taken during the graduation ceremony.”
Synonyms
03the cinema
n. the cinema or a film.
n. a motion picture or the cinema as a venue; often used in the plural 'the pictures'.
“Would you like to go to the pictures with us on Saturday night?”
“In the mid-twentieth century, going to the pictures was the primary form of weekly entertainment for many families.”
British English · Informal
04the whole situation
n. the general situation or the complete story of what is happening.
n. the overall circumstances or the 'big picture' regarding a specific situation.
“We need more information to get a clear picture of the problem.”
“The quarterly report provides a comprehensive picture of the company's financial health following the recent merger.”
05perfect example
n. a perfect example of a particular quality.
n. a person or thing that is a perfect example or embodiment of a quality.
“The young athlete was the picture of health and energy.”
“Standing amidst the ruins of his former estate, the old man was the very picture of despair.”
Literary
Synonyms
06to imagine
v. to form a mental image of something in your mind.
v. to visualize or form a mental representation of a person, place, or event.
“I can't picture him as a doctor because he is so shy.”
“It is difficult to picture how the landscape looked before the industrial revolution transformed the valley.”
07to show or describe
v. to show or describe someone or something in a certain way.
v. to depict or represent someone or something in a visual or verbal medium.
“The book pictures the small town as a very peaceful place.”
“The documentary pictures the artist as a reclusive genius who struggled with the pressures of sudden fame.”
Real-World Examples
“I wanted to use the thermal camera to put the body back into pictures of heat and show exactly where the built world around us is failing us: a playground that's too hot to touch, a roof radiating heat into a bedroom.” “The Guardian’s picture editors highlight the work of photojournalists working for news agencies worldwide whose images have made an impact and contributed to our journalism during 2025” “Jeff Widener found himself caught up in the security clampdown in Beijing when he took the picture of Tank Man in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago.” Etymology
From Middle English pycture, from Old French picture, itself from Latin pictūra (“the art of painting, a painting”), from pingō (“to paint”). Doublet of pictura.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Related words
Idioms
mixed picture — A situation in which both negatives and positives are found.
paint a rosy picture — To describe a situation or prospective set of events in an upbeat, optimistic manner.
pen picture — A written description, often biographical.
pretty pictures — Image supplements in a presentation: graphs, charts, etc.
take a picture — To photographically capture an image
In Literature
Cover: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — Unknown authorUnknown author.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · 1890-01-01 · Gothic novel, philosophical fiction
- Author:
- Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s famous Gothic novel follows a handsome young man who remains youthful while a painted portrait of him ages and reflects his moral decay. The story explores the supernatural connection between Dorian and this visual representation, which captures the hidden truth of his soul. As he lives a life of indulgence, the canvas changes to show the physical consequences of his actions.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/picture