PICTURE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does picture mean? 

• PICTURE (noun)
  The noun PICTURE has 10 senses:

1. a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

2. graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface

3. a clear and telling mental image

4. a situation treated as an observable object

5. illustrations used to decorate or explain a text

6. a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement

7. the visible part of a television transmission

8. a graphic or vivid verbal description

9. a typical example of some state or quality

10. a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format

  Familiarity information: PICTURE used as a noun is familiar.

• PICTURE (verb)
  The verb PICTURE has 2 senses:

1. imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind

2. show in, or as in, a picture

  Familiarity information: PICTURE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PICTURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

icon; ikon; image; picture

Context example:

a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

representation (a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "picture"):

echogram; sonogram (an image of a structure that is produced by ultrasonography (reflections of high-frequency sound waves); used to observe fetal growth or to study bodily organs)

CAT scan; scan (an image produced by scanning)

reflection; reflexion (the image of something as reflected by a mirror (or other reflective material))

cyclorama; diorama; panorama (a picture (or series of pictures) representing a continuous scene)

likeness; semblance (picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing)

inset (a small picture inserted within the bounds or a larger one)

computer graphic; graphic (an image that is generated by a computer)

foil; transparency (picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector)

collage; montage (a paste-up made by sticking together pieces of paper or photographs to form an artistic image)

chiaroscuro (a monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color)

bitmap; electronic image (an image represented as a two dimensional array of brightness values for pixels)

iconography (the images and symbolic representations that are traditionally associated with a person or a subject)

Derivation:

depict (show in, or as in, a picture)

pictural (pertaining to or consisting of pictures)

picture (show in, or as in, a picture)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

painting; picture

Context example:

his pictures hang in the Louvre

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

graphic art (the arts of drawing or painting or printmaking)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "picture"):

cityscape (painting depicting a city or urban area)

abstraction (an abstract painting)

water-color; water-colour; watercolor; watercolour (a painting produced with watercolors)

trompe l'oeil (a painting rendered in such great detail as to deceive the viewer concerning its reality)

tanka (a Tibetan religious painting on fabric)

still life (a painting of inanimate objects such as fruit or flowers)

semi-abstraction (a semiabstract painting)

seascape; waterscape (a painting of the sea (as distinguished from a landscape))

sand painting (a painting done by Amerindians (especially Navaho); made of fine colored sands on a neutral background)

pentimento (the reappearance in a painting of an underlying image that had been painted over (usually when the later painting becomes transparent with age))

oil painting (a picture painted with oil paints)

mural; wall painting (a painting that is applied to a wall surface)

monochrome (painting done in a range of tones of a single color)

illumination; miniature (painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts))

landscape (painting depicting an expanse of natural scenery)

icon; ikon (a conventional religious painting in oil on a small wooden panel; venerated in the Eastern Church)

finger-painting (a painting produced by spreading paint with the fingers)

distemper (a painting created with paint that is made by mixing the pigments with water and a binder)

daub (an unskillful painting)

nude; nude painting (a painting of a naked human figure)

Derivation:

pictural (pertaining to or consisting of pictures)

picture (show in, or as in, a picture)

depict (make a portrait of)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A clear and telling mental image

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

impression; mental picture; picture

Context example:

the events left a permanent impression in his mind

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

image; mental image (an iconic mental representation)

Derivation:

picture (imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A situation treated as an observable object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

picture; scene

Context example:

the religious scene in England has changed in the last century

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

situation; state of affairs (the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Illustrations used to decorate or explain a text

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

pictorial matter; picture

Context example:

the dictionary had many pictures

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

illustration (artwork that helps make something clear or attractive)

Derivation:

pictural (pertaining to or consisting of pictures)

picture; depict (show in, or as in, a picture)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

film; flick; motion-picture show; motion picture; movie; moving-picture show; moving picture; pic; picture; picture show

Context example:

the film was shot on location

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

product; production (an artifact that has been created by someone or some process)

show (a social event involving a public performance or entertainment)

Meronyms (parts of "picture"):

episode; sequence (film consisting of a succession of related shots that develop a given subject in a movie)

credit (an entry on a list of persons who contributed to a film or written work)

caption; subtitle (translation of foreign dialogue of a movie or TV program; usually displayed at the bottom of the screen)

credits (a list of acknowledgements of those who contributed to the creation of a film (usually run at the end of the film))

scene; shot (a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film)

Domain member category:

dub (provide (movies) with a soundtrack of a foreign language)

synchronise; synchronize (make (motion picture sound) exactly simultaneous with the action)

film; shoot; take (make a film or photograph of something)

tape; videotape (record on videotape)

reshoot (shoot again)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "picture"):

short subject (a brief film; often shown prior to showing the feature)

musical; musical comedy; musical theater (a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing)

3-D; 3D; three-D (a movie with images having three dimensional form or appearance)

talkie; talking picture (a movie with synchronized speech and singing)

slow motion (a movie that apparently takes place at a slower than normal speed; achieved by taking the film at a faster rate)

silent movie; silent picture; silents (a movie without a soundtrack)

rough cut (the first print of a movie after preliminary editing)

skin flick (a pornographic movie)

film noir (a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters)

cinema verite (a movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director)

docudrama; documentary; documentary film; infotainment (a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event)

shoot-'em-up (a movie featuring shooting and violence)

coming attraction (a movie that is advertised to draw customers)

collage film (a movie that juxtaposes different kinds of footage)

home movie (a film made at home by an amateur photographer)

final cut (the final edited version of a movie as approved by the director and producer)

feature; feature film (the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater)

telefilm (a movie that is made to be shown on television)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The visible part of a television transmission

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

picture; video

Context example:

they could still receive the sound but the picture was gone

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

visual communication (communication that relies on vision)

Holonyms ("picture" is a part of...):

telecasting; television; TV; video (broadcasting visual images of stationary or moving objects)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A graphic or vivid verbal description

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

characterisation; characterization; delineation; depiction; picture; word-painting; word picture

Context example:

the pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous Vermonters

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

description; verbal description (a statement that represents something in words)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "picture"):

epithet (descriptive word or phrase)

portrait; portraiture; portrayal (a word picture of a person's appearance and character)

Derivation:

depict (give a description of)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A typical example of some state or quality

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

she was the picture of despair

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

exemplification; typification (a representational or typifying form or model)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

exposure; photo; photograph; pic; picture

Hypernyms ("picture" is a kind of...):

representation (a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "picture"):

photocopy (a photographic copy of written or printed or graphic work)

stock image; stock photograph (an exisitng photograph licensed for a specific use)

photographic print; print (a printed picture produced from a photographic negative)

photomicrograph (a photograph taken with the help of a microscope)

radiogram; radiograph; shadowgraph; skiagram; skiagraph (a photographic image produced on a radiosensitive surface by radiation other than visible light (especially by X-rays or gamma rays))

shot; snap; snapshot (an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera)

spectrogram; spectrograph (a photographic record of a spectrum)

stereo; stereoscopic photograph; stereoscopic picture (two photographs taken from slightly different angles that appear three-dimensional when viewed together)

still (a static photograph (especially one taken from a movie and used for advertising purposes))

telephoto; telephotograph (a photograph made with a telephoto lens)

telephotograph (a photograph transmitted and reproduced over a distance)

time exposure (a photograph produced with a relatively long exposure time)

vignette (a photograph whose edges shade off gradually)

wedding picture (photographs of bride and groom and their friends taken at their wedding)

scene; shot (a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film)

arial mosaic; mosaic; photomosaic (arrangement of aerial photographs forming a composite picture)

mug shot; mugshot (a photograph of someone's face (especially one made for police records))

beefcake (a photograph of a muscular man in minimal attire)

black and white; monochrome (a black-and-white photograph or slide)

blueprint (photographic print of plans or technical drawings etc.)

cheesecake (a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire)

closeup (a photograph taken at close range)

daguerreotype (a photograph made by an early photographic process; the image was produced on a silver plate sensitized to iodine and developed in mercury vapor)

blowup; enlargement; magnification (a photographic print that has been enlarged)

frame (a single one of a series of still transparent pictures forming a cinema, television or video film)

glossy (a photograph that is printed on smooth shiny paper)

headshot (a photograph of a person's head)

hologram; holograph (the intermediate photograph (or photographic record) that contains information for reproducing a three-dimensional image by holography)

longshot (a photograph taken from a distance)

microdot (photograph reduced to the size of a dot (usually for purposes of security))

• PICTURE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

envision; fancy; figure; image; picture; project; see; visualise; visualize

Context example:

I can see a risk in this strategy

Hypernyms (to "picture" is one way to...):

conceive of; envisage; ideate; imagine (form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case)

Verb group:

realise; realize; see; understand (perceive (an idea or situation) mentally)

visualise; visualize (form a mental picture of something that is invisible or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

picture (a clear and telling mental image)

picturing (visual imagery)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Show in, or as in, a picture

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

depict; picture; render; show

Context example:

the face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting

Hypernyms (to "picture" is one way to...):

interpret; represent (create an image or likeness of)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "picture"):

illustrate (depict with an illustration)

map (depict as if on a map)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

picture (graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface)

picture (a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface)

picture (illustrations used to decorate or explain a text)

picturing (visual representation as by photography or painting)

 Context examples 

The process of getting x-ray pictures of the esophagus or the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract (esophagus, stomach, and duodenum).

(Barium swallow, NCI Dictionary)

It is used to show pictures of parts of the digestive system in x-rays.

(Barium solution, NCI Dictionary)

There’s a picture on the wall of the chase of the Ca Ira.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Pictures and prints which even my unpractised eyes could recognize as being of great price and rarity hung thick upon the walls.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Let me give you a picture of what is going on.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

"Only it forces rather strongly on the mind the picture of what might have been," said Mr. Rivers, "and contrasts it somewhat too vividly with what is."

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The echoes are sent to a computer, which makes a picture called a sonogram.

(Abdominal ultrasound, NCI Dictionary)

"I had a box of chocolate drops, and the picture I wanted to copy," said Amy, showing her mail.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The research has mapped out a clearer picture of these genomes than any prior studies.

(Researchers sequence genome of a fungus that causes life-threatening pneumonia, NIH)

Cancer cells take up more C-11 choline than normal cells, so the pictures can be used to find cancer cells in the body.

(C-11 choline PET-CT scan, NCI Dictionary)