Definition of painting:

• the occupation of a house painter; " house painting was the only craft he knew"
• graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface; " a small painting by Picasso"; " he bought the painting as an investment"; " his pictures hang in the Louvre"
• the act of applying paint to a surface; " you can finish the job of painting faster with a roller than with a brush"
• making a picture with paints; " he studied painting and sculpture for many years"
• creating a picture with paints; " he studied painting and sculpture for many years"
• The act or employment of laying on, or adorning with, paints or colors.
• The work of the painter; also, any work of art in which objects are represented in color on a flat surface; a colored representation of any object or scene; a picture.
• Color laid on; paint.
• A depicting by words; vivid representation in words.
• The act or art of laying on colors with a brush; the art of showing objects on a surface by means of colors; a picture in colors.
• The act or art of using paints; a painted picture.
• The act or employment of laying on colours; the art of representing objects or scenes in colours; a picture.
• The art of laying on colours, or of representing objects by delineations and colours; a picture; a painted resemblance.

Usage examples for painting

1. If you had asked my advice I would have told you that painting your canoe should not have been done for a month yet.  Betty Zane by Zane Grey

2. This painting was a revelation to me.  The Eye of Osiris by R. Austin Freeman

3. If you had happened not to like painting, some book would have been offered you.  Coelebs In Search of a Wife by Hannah More