How to Use war paint in a Sentence

war paint

noun
  • She piled on the war paint.
  • In sci-fi color schemes, her rave-ready makeup can be used as face paint or war paint.
    — Maggie Lange, Allure, 20 Dec. 2021
  • Once the mongooses have this scented war paint on, the battle starts.
    — Big Think, 8 May 2026
  • Putting on the war paint before my @foxandfriends interview this morning.
    — Jessica Kwong, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2018
  • And the school has promised that no matter what, students will no longer be allowed to paint themselves red and put on war paint.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Nov. 2020
  • The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages.
    — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
  • Upon applying war paint-like ash to her face, Teonna fills a pillow case with a literal stack of bibles.
    — Matt Cabral, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2023
  • For a start, there’s something inherently fortifying about slicking on a coat of war paint.
    — April Long, Town & Country, 4 Dec. 2020
  • Off the field, the players live together, sing songs in their native tongues and cover their bodies in war paint to keep traditions alive.
    — ABC News, 2 May 2026
  • There was something ceremonious about drinking that SlimFast, like putting on war paint.
    — Ottessa Moshfegh, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020
  • Sitcom Indians wear feathers and war paint and say mystical things in halting English.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, 30 Jan. 2018
  • And that has led to a tradition of white students dressing up as the Native mascot and others painting themselves red and putting on war paint to attend games.
    — Courtney Tanner, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Sep. 2020
  • One girl smears menstrual blood on her face like war paint; another fantasizes about giving birth, smashing her newborn’s head on the rocks and force-feeding the corpse to her rivals.
    — Amanda Hess, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2019
  • One girl smears menstrual blood on her face like war paint; another fantasizes about giving birth, smashing her newborn's head on the rocks and force-feeding the corpse to her rivals.
    — Sara Stewart, CNN, 8 Jan. 2022
  • For athletic events, we were encouraged by teachers and administrators, most of whom were also white, to dress up in Native American-like gear and war paint.
    — New York Times, 30 June 2021
  • The Super Bowl champion Chiefs had already prohibited fans from wearing headdresses or war paint amid a push for more cultural sensitivity.
    — CBS News, 11 Sep. 2020
  • After weeks of persistent persuasion, Stills accepted teammate Isaac Asiata’s offer to put on the same facial war paint which the Dolphins guard is known for wearing during games.
    — Andre C. Fernandez, miamiherald, 22 Oct. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'war paint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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