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
cartoonishly
adverb
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
The show also announced that Alan Cumming will have a guest role in the season’s second episode, voicing a cartoon character named Mr. Ring-A-Ding who breaks out of his celluloid world.
—
Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
Spiteful buys plain aluminum cans and applies an array of colorful cartoon labels during the packaging process to market its portfolio.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
The Musical’ Yes, the DeLorean is one of the stars of this musical based on the 1985 mega-hit, sci-fi movie with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover that spawned a film franchise with two sequels, theme-park rides, video games and a TV cartoon series.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
Teachers called the current group of students, in a reference to an old Korean superhero cartoon, the Eagle Five Brothers.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025
Spiteful buys plain aluminum cans and applies an array of colorful cartoon labels during the packaging process to market its portfolio.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
The Musical’ Yes, the DeLorean is one of the stars of this musical based on the 1985 mega-hit, sci-fi movie with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover that spawned a film franchise with two sequels, theme-park rides, video games and a TV cartoon series.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
Teachers called the current group of students, in a reference to an old Korean superhero cartoon, the Eagle Five Brothers.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
Cite this Entry
“Cartoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartoon. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cartoon
noun
car·toon
kär-ˈtün 
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
b
3
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
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