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
Other kids spent Saturday mornings watching cartoons.
—
Leena Tailor, HollywoodReporter, 26 Apr. 2025
Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA
‘ABSOLUTELY SICK’ – Parents file federal complaints after school forces 11-year-olds to take explicit health survey.
—FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The South Korean government is betting big on animation, unveiling a $1 billion investment strategy aimed at transforming its cartoon industry into a global powerhouse.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The logo contains a yellow circle, and inside the shape is a sunglasses-wearing cartoon duck dressed in a green shirt and red bowtie.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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Leena Tailor, HollywoodReporter, 26 Apr. 2025
Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA
‘ABSOLUTELY SICK’ – Parents file federal complaints after school forces 11-year-olds to take explicit health survey.
—FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The South Korean government is betting big on animation, unveiling a $1 billion investment strategy aimed at transforming its cartoon industry into a global powerhouse.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The logo contains a yellow circle, and inside the shape is a sunglasses-wearing cartoon duck dressed in a green shirt and red bowtie.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 25 Apr. 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 2 May. 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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