ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sculpture

n. · v.
US //ˈskəɫptʃɝ// UK //skˈʌlptʃɐ// sculp·ture
  1. 1 a work of art (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a three-dimensional work of art made by carving stone, casting metal, or shaping clay.

    a three-dimensional work of art created by shaping or combining materials such as stone, metal, glass, or wood.

    Example

    The museum has a famous bronze sculpture of a horse in the garden.

    Example

    The contemporary sculpture was assembled from recycled industrial parts, challenging traditional notions of aesthetic value and material permanence.
  2. 2 the art form (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the art or practice of making three-dimensional objects.

    the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions; the collective body of such works.

    Example

    She decided to study sculpture because she enjoyed working with her hands.

    Example

    Renaissance sculpture reached its peak with artists who mastered the anatomical precision of the human form in marble.
    • fine art
    • plastic arts
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 surface patterns (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    the natural patterns or raised shapes on the surface of a shell or an animal's body.

    the three-dimensional ornamentation or raised markings on the outer surface of a biological structure, such as a shell.

    Example

    The scientist examined the delicate sculpture on the surface of the sea shell.

    Example

    The taxonomic classification of these mollusks relies heavily on the intricate sculpture of the shell's exterior ridges.
  2. 4 to create a shape (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make a figure or a shape out of a solid material.

    to fashion, carve, or mould a material into a three-dimensional figure or design.

    Example

    He used a small knife to sculpture a tiny bird out of a piece of wood.

    Example

    The artist spent months attempting to sculpture the perfect likeness of the statesman from a single block of granite.
  3. 5 natural erosion (v.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Science

    when wind or water changes the shape of the land over a long time.

    to change the physical features of a landscape through natural processes like erosion.

    Example

    Over millions of years, the river helped to sculpture the deep canyon.

    Example

    Glacial movements continued to sculpture the valley floor, leaving behind a distinctive U-shaped profile and scattered debris.
Origin

From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”).

Word family

© 2026 English Reference