Meaning & use
coat of paint
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Meanings
nouncountable
One layer of paint spread over a surface, often applied before or after other layers.
Grammar: Countable: a coat of paint, two coats of paint.
Patterns
- a coat of paint on something
- apply a coat of paint
The old fence only needed a fresh coat of paint.
Let the first coat of paint dry before you add the second.
The walls will need two coats of paint to cover the dark color.
nounsingularfigurative
A thin, superficial improvement that hides problems without fixing them; used figuratively.
Grammar: Often used in the figure of speech a fresh coat of paint.
Patterns
- a fresh coat of paint
The new logo was just a fresh coat of paint on the same old company.
The reforms were little more than a coat of paint over a crumbling system.
A coat of paint will not fix the real problem.
Word forms
| plural | coats of paint |
|---|
Common combinations
- fresh coat of paint
- The kitchen looks new with a fresh coat of paint.
- second coat of paint
- The second coat of paint gave the door a deep shine.
- apply a coat of paint
- Apply a thin coat of paint with a roller.
- thick coat of paint
- A thick coat of paint hid the cracks.
- give something a coat of paint
- We gave the shed a coat of paint last weekend.
- top coat of paint
- The top coat of paint protects the wood from rain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- layer
- Layer is a general word for any covering, whereas coat of paint is specific to paint.
- coating
- Coating is a more formal and general word that can mean any thin covering, and it is not limited to paint.
- paint job
- Paint job refers to the whole painting work or finish, especially on a car, rather than a single layer.
Word family
Commonly confused: coat of paint or coat of arms?
coat of paint vs coat of arms
A coat of arms is a design on a shield that represents a family or institution. It has nothing to do with painting a wall.
Practice
The room needs two ____ of paint to hide the old color.
Choose one answer.
After the number two, the countable noun takes its plural form, coats. Coat is singular, coating is a different noun, and coated is a verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coat of paint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.