picture
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A visual representation produced on a surface.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pikcherSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪktʃɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
“They showed us the pictures of their wedding.”
A representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other surface, by drawing, painting, printing, photography, etc.
The art of painting; representation by painting.
A clear and telling mental image
“He described his mental picture of his assailant.”
An image; a representation as in the imagination.
A paragon, a perfect example or specimen (of a category).
verb
transitive
To depict or describe vividly.
transitive
To imagine or envision.
Imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
Show in, or as in, a picture
transitive
To represent in or with a picture.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
Used this way, picture is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“They showed us the pictures of their wedding.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “picture of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- ikon , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: picture of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Visual / representationnoun
“They showed us the pictures of their wedding.”
Clearnoun
“He described his mental picture of his assailant.”
More ways to use picture
- “They showed us the pictures of their wedding.”noun
- “They could still receive the sound but the picture was gone.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A framework in which a picture is mounted.
A room or series of rooms where works of art are exhibited.
A woman's dressy hat with a wide brim.
A theater where films are shown.
The plane that is in the foreground of a drawing or painting.
Rail fixed to a wall for hanging pictures.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.