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
Lively and engaging animations and cartoon drawings were designed by an in-house artist team and are dotted across the website, offering educational snippets to pet parents.
—
Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
One scene showed a cartoon version of the president stripping naked and crawling into bed with his romantic partner, Satan.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 30 July 2025
The cartoon president then grabs his collar and smirks at Satan before the teaser heads into other territory.
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
Photograph: Tom Werner/Getty Images For decades, sleep disturbance was a punch line: the cartoon dad snoring, the disgruntled partner burying their head under a pillow.
—Anna McKie, Wired News, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartoon
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Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
One scene showed a cartoon version of the president stripping naked and crawling into bed with his romantic partner, Satan.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 30 July 2025
The cartoon president then grabs his collar and smirks at Satan before the teaser heads into other territory.
—EW.com, 30 July 2025
Photograph: Tom Werner/Getty Images For decades, sleep disturbance was a punch line: the cartoon dad snoring, the disgruntled partner burying their head under a pillow.
—Anna McKie, Wired News, 30 July 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 7 Aug. 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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