Meaning & use
paint thinner
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A strong-smelling liquid added to paint or used on a cloth to make paint flow more easily or to remove it.
Grammar: No plural and no 'a' in general use: add paint thinner to the tin; a bottle of paint thinner.
Patterns
- add paint thinner to something
- clean something with paint thinner
- a bottle of paint thinner
The old paint had gone thick, so he stirred in a little paint thinner.
She wiped the brush with paint thinner until the bristles were clean again.
You can buy paint thinner at most hardware stores.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A product sold for this purpose, especially one made from mineral spirits or a similar solvent.
Grammar: Countable when you mean a particular brand or bottle: two different paint thinners.
Patterns
- a can of paint thinner
- a brand of paint thinner
This paint thinner is gentler than the one I used last time.
Most paint thinners give off fumes, so keep the lid tight.
Common combinations
- a can of paint thinner
- He grabbed a can of paint thinner from the shelf in the garage.
- add paint thinner
- Add paint thinner slowly, or the paint will become too runny.
- clean a brush with paint thinner
- Clean the brush with paint thinner before the paint dries hard.
- the smell of paint thinner
- The smell of paint thinner filled the whole room.
- substitute for paint thinner
- Turpentine is a common substitute for paint thinner when you are using oil paint.
Synonyms and how they differ
- solvent
- A general word for any liquid that dissolves things; paint thinner is the everyday name for the kind used with paint.
- white spirit
- The British name for a very similar liquid; American speakers usually say paint thinner.
- turpentine
- A stronger, more expensive thinner made from tree resin, used mainly with oil-based paints.
Word family
Commonly confused: paint thinner or paintbrush cleaner?
paint thinner vs paintbrush cleaner
A cleaner is made to wash brushes; a thinner is added to the paint itself to change how it flows.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'paint thinner' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Paint thinner' is normally uncountable, so 'some paint thinner' is right. 'A paint thinner' and 'many paint thinners' treat it as a countable item, and 'two paint thinner' is not grammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paint thinner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.