dye

American  

[dahy] / daɪ /

noun

1. a coloring material or matter.

2. a liquid containing coloring matter, for imparting a particular hue to cloth, paper, etc.

3. color or hue, especially as produced by dyeing.

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verb (used with object)

dyes, present (3rd person singular) dyed, past participle, past dyeing present participle

1. to color or stain; treat with a dye; color (cloth, hair, etc.) with a substance containing coloring matter.

   to dye a dress green.

2. to impart (color) by means of a dye.

   The coloring matter dyed green.

verb (used without object)

dyes, present (3rd person singular) dyed, past participle, past dyeing present participle

1. to impart color, as a dye.

   This brand dyes well.

2. to become colored or absorb color when treated with a dye.

   This cloth dyes easily.

idioms

1. of the deepest / blackest dye, of the most extreme or the worst sort.

   a prevaricator of the blackest dye.

dye British  

/ daɪ /

noun

1. a staining or colouring substance, such as a natural or synthetic pigment

2. a liquid that contains a colouring material and can be used to stain fabrics, skins, etc

3. the colour or shade produced by dyeing

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verb

1. (tr) to impart a colour or stain to (something, such as fabric or hair) by or as if by the application of a dye

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dyeable
  adjective
• redye
  verb (used with object)
• undyable
  adjective
• dyer
  noun
• dyable
  adjective
• undyed
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have dyed
  perfect
• has dyed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am dyeing
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been dyeing
  perfect progressive
• has been dyeing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is dyeing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are dyeing
  progressive
• dyes
  singular 3rd person
• dyeing
  participle

Past

• had dyed
  perfect
• dyed
  participle
• had been dyeing
  perfect progressive
• was dyeing
  progressive singular
• were dyeing
  progressive plural
• dyed
  simple

Future

• will dye
  simple
• will have dyed
  perfect
• will have been dyeing
  perfect progressive
• will be dyeing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of dye

before 1000; Middle English dien, Old English dēagian, derivative of dēag a dye

Explanation

Dye is a substance that's used to change the color of whatever it's applied to. You can use hair dye to change your light brown hair to deep, dark purple. Dye is used on fabrics, hair, yarn and other fibers, clothing, and food, among other things. When you apply dye to something, you dye it. If you're baking a birthday cake for your friend who loves the color orange, you might use food coloring — a type of dye — to dye the vanilla frosting orange. The Old English root of dye is deah, "a color or hue," which is possibly related to deagol, "secret, hidden, or dark."

Example Sentences

The findings will also guide future dye tracing experiments.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Jon Pearce, Labour MP for High Peak, confirmed on Wednesday that dye had been ordered again to "deter people from gathering and trespassing at the site".

From BBC • May 28, 2026

Scratchy and stiff, it stinks of the stale urine used to set the dye.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

She strolls in without makeup, fresh red hair dye staining her scalp, three glittering studs on her teeth that she flashes while talking as though she’s not being recorded.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Now Dad was going to dye them black so that they would not be considered fourolds.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

Related Words

• pigment
• stain
• tint