cartoons

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of cartoon.

   The magazine ran three political cartoons on the same page.

   Many classic cartoons were originally shown before feature films in theaters.

   Note

   A plural whose meaning shifts with the setting. In a newspaper, cartoons are humorous or satirical drawings. On a screen, they are animated films or a series of them. In a studio or an art history, they are preliminary sketches, or the full-sized drawings that serve as templates for frescoes and tapestries. The spelling is shared with the present-tense verb, so only the surrounding words separate her cartoons from she cartoons.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of cartoon.

   The artist cartoons everyday office life with sharp wit.

   Whenever a scandal breaks, the magazine cartoons the politicians involved.

   Note

   A regular present-tense form, used with he, she, it or a singular noun: the artist cartoons, the magazine cartoons. It usually takes a direct object, the person or scene being drawn, as in cartoons the politicians involved. The verb also has a quieter studio meaning, to make a preliminary sketch, which echoes the sketch-and-template meanings of the plural noun.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2