Meaning & use
pictures
Last updated
“pictures” is a form of “picture”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Plural of picture: photographs, drawings, or other images of people or things.
Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'picture'. Use 'pictures' when talking about more than one image.
Patterns
- take pictures
- draw pictures
- pictures of someone/something
She showed me the pictures from her holiday in Italy.
The children drew pictures of their families.
He took lots of pictures at the wedding.
nounpluralBritishold-fashioned
Plural of picture: films or movies, especially in the context of the cinema industry.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'the pictures' to mean the cinema, especially in British English.
Patterns
- go to the pictures
- the pictures
We used to go to the pictures every Saturday when we were kids.
There's a good film on at the pictures this week.
Word forms
| singular | picture |
|---|
Common combinations
- take pictures
- He took pictures of the sunset with his new camera.
- draw pictures
- The little girl loves to draw pictures of animals.
- pictures of
- She has pictures of her grandchildren all over the house.
- go to the pictures
- Do you want to go to the pictures tonight?
Synonyms and how they differ
- photos
- More specific than 'pictures'; refers only to photographs taken with a camera, not drawings or paintings.
- images
- More formal and technical; often used for digital or printed visual representations.
- illustrations
- Refers to pictures in books or magazines that explain or decorate the text.
Word family
- picture noun
- Singular form: a drawing, painting, or photograph.
- picturesque adjective
- Describes a place or view that is charming and looks like a picture.
- pictorial adjective
- Relating to pictures; shown in the form of pictures.
Commonly confused: pictures or pitchers?
pictures vs pitchers
Sounds similar but means large containers for liquids or baseball players who throw the ball.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Pictures' is the plural form, so 'many pictures' is correct. Option B uses the singular 'picture' incorrectly with 'many'. Option C uses 'at' but 'pictures at' is not the usual phrase for photographs of something; we say 'pictures of'. Option D uses 'to', which is wrong because 'to' indicates direction, not the subject of the photo.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pictures”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.