cartoon

noun

car·​toon kär-ˈtün How to pronounce cartoon (audio)
plural cartoons
1
: a preparatory design, drawing, or painting (as for a fresco)
2
a
: a drawing intended as satire, caricature, or humor
a political cartoon
a cartoon drawing
b
: a group of drawings in narrative sequence : comic strip
3
: a video (such as a television show or movie) that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (such as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame : animated cartoon
4
: a ludicrously simplistic, unrealistic, or one-dimensional portrayal or version
The film's villain is an entertaining cartoon.
cartoon verb
cartooning noun
cartoonish adjective
cartoonishly adverb
cartoonist noun
cartoonlike adjective
cartoony adjective

Examples of cartoon in a Sentence

She enjoys reading the cartoons in the Sunday paper. The kids are watching cartoons.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If they weren’t dressed as animals, beer bottles, giant burritos, glittery unicorns, or cartoon and video game characters, runners had on foam reindeer antlers. Gregory Wakeman, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025 In the footage, the trio is shown accidentally killing a man named Mojo, a deviation from the cartoon's villain Mojo Jojo. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 Meanwhile, back at the table, Flow, a magical, mystical Latvian cartoon about a cat, is up for both Best Picture and Best International Film. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025 State of play: The 14-acre theme park features rides, play areas and live shows that showcase the British cartoon and its main characters. Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cartoon

Word History

Etymology

Italian cartone pasteboard, cartoon, augmentative of carta leaf of paper — more at card entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cartoon was circa 1684

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cartoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartoon. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

cartoon

noun
car·​toon kär-ˈtün How to pronounce cartoon (audio)
1
: a design, drawing, or painting made as a model for the finished work
2
a
: a drawing intended as a humorous comment on public affairs
3
cartoonist noun
Etymology

from Italian cartone "pasteboard, a sketch of a planned drawing or painting done on heavy paper," from carta "sheet of paper," from Latin charta "piece of papyrus" — related to card entry 3, carton

More from Merriam-Webster on cartoon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!