sketchbook
gb/skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/ us/skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
book for drawing sketches
A book of blank pages for drawing.
Usage pattern:
a sketchbook; [someone]'s sketchbook; sketchbook for [purpose]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse a sketchbook (for drawings and practice) with a scrapbook (for keeping photos and cutouts).
Synonyms
drawing pad (Often emphasizes a pad format rather than a bound book.)
|
artist's notebook (Suggests notes and planning as well as sketches.)
Collocations
keep a sketchbook
|carry a sketchbook
|fill a sketchbook
|open your sketchbook
|a sketchbook page
|a sketchbook drawing
|a spiral-bound sketchbook
|a hardcover sketchbook
|a small pocket sketchbook
|a sketchbook app
Themes
art
|creativity
|education
|stationery
Examples
- She always carries a sketchbook so she can draw on the train.
- I bought a new sketchbook with thicker paper for ink.
- He flipped through his sketchbook to show the early ideas for the character.
Learner examples
- I have a sketchbook for my drawings.
- She draws in her sketchbook every day.
Noun
literary
B2
entity
2
collection of brief impressions
A set of short creative pieces or ideas.
Usage pattern:
a sketchbook of [places/ideas/characters/impressions]
Common mistake:
In this meaning, sketchbook is figurative; it may contain written “sketches,” not only drawings.
Synonyms
notebook (More general; not necessarily focused on creative sketches or impressions.)
|
vignette collection (More specifically literary and made of short descriptive pieces.)
Collocations
a sketchbook of impressions
|a sketchbook of travel scenes
|a sketchbook of characters
|a sketchbook of ideas
Themes
writing
|art
|creativity
Examples
- The book is a sketchbook of city life, made up of brief scenes and observations.
- Her blog became a sketchbook of ideas for later stories.
Learner examples
- His journal is a sketchbook of small ideas.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sketchbook
IPA
GB/skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/
US/skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/
Syllables & stress
sketch - book (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sketch)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sketchbook
- Plural: sketchbooks
Expressions
fill a sketchbook
1/fˈɪl ə skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/
fixed phrase
complete all pages
To use all the pages in a sketchbook.
Examples
- She filled a sketchbook with portraits during the summer.
- It took me two months to fill my sketchbook with studies of hands.
keep a sketchbook
1/kˈip ə skˈɛt͡ʃbˌʊk/
fixed phrase
use a sketchbook regularly
To draw in a sketchbook often.
Examples
- My teacher told us to keep a sketchbook and draw something every day.
- He keeps a sketchbook for quick thumbnail designs.