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Definition of picture noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

picture

noun
 OPAL S
 
/ˈpɪktʃə(r)/
 
/ˈpɪktʃər/
Idioms
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    painting/drawing

  1.  
     [countable] a painting or drawing, etc. that shows a scene, a person or thing
    • He likes books with lots of pictures in them.
    • picture of somebody/something A picture of flowers hung on the wall.
    • The children were drawing pictures of their pets.
    • She wanted a famous artist to paint her picture (= a picture of herself).
    Synonyms picturepicturepainting ▪ drawing ▪ portrait ▪ print ▪ sketchThese are all words for a scene, person or thing that has been represented on paper by drawing, painting, etc.picture a scene, person or thing that has been represented on paper using a pencil, a pen or paint:
    • The children were drawing pictures of their pets.
    painting a picture that has been made using paint:
    • a collection of paintings by American artists
    drawing a picture that has been made using a pencil or pen, not paint:
    • a pencil/​charcoal drawing
    portrait a painting, drawing or photograph of a person, especially of the head and shoulders:
    • Vermeer’s ‘Portrait of the artist in his studio’
    • a self-portrait (= a painting that you do of yourself)
    print a picture that has been copied from a painting using photography:
    • a Renoir print
    sketch a simple picture that is drawn quickly and does not have many details:
    • I usually do a few very rough sketches before I start on a painting.
    Patterns
    • to draw a picture/​portrait/​sketch
    • to paint a picture/​portrait
    • to make a painting/​drawing/​portrait/​print/​sketch
    • to do a painting/​drawing/​portrait/​sketch
    Extra Examples
    • It's a picture of a country village.
    • It's a picture of the Grand Canyon.
    • The book has simple stories and pictures to colour in.
    • The story is told in pictures.
    Topics Houses and homesa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • beautiful
    • lovely
    • pretty
    • …
    verb + picture
    • draw
    • paint
    • compose
    • …
    picture + verb
    • depict something
    • show something
    • hang
    • …
    picture + noun
    • frame
    • book
    • postcard
    • …
    preposition
    • in a/​the picture
    • picture of
    See full entry
    2.

    photograph

  2.  
     [countable] a photograph
    • to take a picture
    • We had our picture taken in front of the hotel.
    • The picture shows the couple together on their yacht.
    • picture of somebody/something She posted a picture of the two of them on her Facebook page.
    • Have you got any pictures of your trip?
    • The star shared the picture on Instagram.
    • to upload/send/tweet a picture
    Synonyms photographphotographpicture ▪ photo ▪ shot ▪ snapshot/​snap ▪ printThese are all words for a picture that has been made using a camera.photograph a picture that has been made using a camera:
    • a photograph of the house
    • Can I take a photograph?
    picture a photograph:
    • We had our picture taken in front of the hotel.
    photo a photograph:
    • a passport photo
     photograph, picture or photo?Photograph is slightly more formal and photo is slightly less formal. Picture is used especially in the context of photographs in newspapers, magazines and books.shot a photograph:
    • I tried to get a shot of him in the water.
    Shot often places more emphasis on the process of taking the photograph, rather than the finished picture.    snapshot/​snap an informal photograph that is taken quickly, and not by a professional photographer:
    • holiday snaps
    print a copy of a photograph that is produced from film or from a digital camera:
    • a set of prints
    Patterns
    • a colour photograph/​picture/​photo/​snap/​print
    • to take a photograph/​picture/​photo/​shot/​snapshot
    Express Yourself Describing a pictureDescribing a pictureIn some exams, you have to describe what you see in a picture or photograph. Here are some useful phrases:
      • The picture shows a family gathered around a kitchen table.
      • This is a photo of a busy city street.
      • In the foreground, we can see a group of protesters.
      • In the background, there are some trees.
      • In the top left-hand corner, there's a child sitting alone.
      • On the right, someone is standing with a bunch of flowers in his hand.
      • In the cartoon, we can see two people looking at a newspaper headline.
      • The cartoonist has drawn the man to represent a typical businessman.
    Extra Examples
    • I can't see you in the picture.
    • I got some good pictures of the procession.
    • This picture shows the man with his family.
    • His picture appeared in the local paper.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • beautiful
    • lovely
    • pretty
    • …
    verb + picture
    • draw
    • paint
    • compose
    • …
    picture + verb
    • depict something
    • show something
    • hang
    • …
    picture + noun
    • frame
    • book
    • postcard
    • …
    preposition
    • in a/​the picture
    • picture of
    See full entry
    3.

    on TV

  3.  
     [countable] picture (of somebody/something) an image on a television screen
    • harrowing television pictures of the famine
    • You are looking at live pictures of midtown Manhattan.
    • poor picture quality
    Topics TV, radio and newsa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • compelling
    • dramatic
    • vivid
    • …
    verb + picture
    • build
    • build up
    • construct
    • …
    picture + verb
    • emerge
    See full entry
    4.

    description

  4.  
     [countable, usually singular] a description that gives you an idea in your mind of what something is like
    • We've only got scraps of information, not the full picture.
    • picture of something The writer paints a gloomy picture of the economy.
    • a bleak/grim picture of the future
    • a clear/an accurate/a complete picture of these events
    • The police are trying to build up a picture of what happened.
    • From news reports a picture emerges of a country in crisis.
    • The TV report painted a much rosier picture of the employment situation than research shows to be the case.
    Extra Examples
    • The book gives a vivid picture of life in Victorian England.
    • Through interviews and old photos we put together a composite picture of life in the village a hundred years ago.
    • They're trying to build up a detailed picture of the incident.
    • What emerges is a complex picture of family rivalry.
    • From newspaper reports a picture emerges of a country barely under control.
    • a composite picture of life a hundred years ago
    • My visits enabled me to build up a broad picture of the culture.
    • The figures reveal a disturbing picture of the state of our schools.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • compelling
    • dramatic
    • vivid
    • …
    verb + picture
    • build
    • build up
    • construct
    • …
    picture + verb
    • emerge
    See full entry
    5.

    mental image

  5.  
     [countable, usually singular] picture (of somebody/something) a mental image or memory of something
    • I have a vivid picture of my grandfather smiling down at me when I was very small.
    • He uses imagery to form mental pictures within the mind of the reader.
    Extra Examples
    • She had formed a picture of what the place would look like and was very disappointed.
    • I had a sudden and chilling mental picture of him being interrogated in one of their prisons.
    • The smell of the sea conjures up pictures of my youth.
    • I tried to form a mental picture of the building being described.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • compelling
    • dramatic
    • vivid
    • …
    verb + picture
    • build
    • build up
    • construct
    • …
    picture + verb
    • emerge
    See full entry
    6.

    general situation

  6. the picture
     [singular] the general situation relating to somebody/something
    • Just a few years ago the picture was very different.
    • The overall picture for farming is encouraging.
    • The documentary was interesting but it didn't give the full picture.
    7.

    movies

  7. [countable] a film
    • The movie won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
    • in pictures (especially North American English) I believe her husband's in pictures (= he acts in movies or works in the movie industry).
    see also motion picture
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • moving
    • live
    • satellite
    • …
    See full entry
  8. the pictures
     [plural] (old-fashioned, informal) the cinema
    • Shall we go to the pictures tonight?
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • moving
    • live
    • satellite
    • …
    See full entry
    9. Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin pictura, from pict- ‘painted’ (from the verb pingere).
Idioms
as pretty as a picture
  1. (old-fashioned) very pretty
    • She’s as pretty as a picture.
    More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
be/look a picture
  1. to look very beautiful or special
    • The garden looks a picture in the summer.
be the picture of health, guilt, misery, etc.
  1. (informal) to look extremely healthy, guilty, unhappy, etc.
the big picture
  1. (informal) the situation as a whole
    • Right now forget the details and take a look at the big picture.
get the picture
  1. (informal) to understand a situation, especially one that somebody is describing to you
    • ‘I pretended that I hadn't heard.’ ‘I get the picture.’
in/out of the picture
  1. (informal) involved/not involved in a situation
    • Morris is likely to win, with Jones out of the picture now.
paint a (grim, gloomy, rosy, etc.) picture of somebody/something
  1. to describe somebody/something in a particular way; to give a particular impression of somebody/something
    • The report paints a vivid picture of life in the city.
    • Journalists paint a grim picture of conditions in the camps.
    Extra Examples
    • He didn't paint a very pretty picture of city life.
    • The report paints a dismal picture of the government's economic record.
put/keep somebody in the picture
  1. (informal) to give somebody the information they need in order to understand a situation
    • Just to put you in the picture—there have been a number of changes here recently.
See picture in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee picture in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: picture

Nearby words

hide-and-seek
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Games and toys
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