pink

¹ American  

[pingk] / pɪŋk /

noun

1. a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.

2. any of several plants of the genus Dianthus, as the clove pink or carnation.

3. the flower of such a plant; carnation.

4. the highest or best form, degree, or example of something: Her parties are the pink of perfection.

   Those runners are in the pink of condition.

   Her parties are the pink of perfection.

5. Older Slang: Disparaging. pinko.

6. Business Informal. a carbon copy, as of a sales slip or invoice, made on pink tissue paper.

7. pinks,

   1. Fox Hunting. pink coat.

   2. pinkish-tan gabardine trousers formerly worn by military officers as part of the dress uniform.

8. the scarlet color of hunting pinks.

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adjective

pinker, comparative pinkest superlative

1. of the color pink.

   pink marble.

2. Older Slang: Disparaging.

   1. holding mildly leftist political opinions.

   2. leaning toward communist ideology.

3. Informal. of or relating to gay people or gay sexual orientation.

idioms

1. tickled pink. tickle.

2. in the pink, healthy, physically fit, or in high spirits.

   I’m feeling very much in the pink today, after a refreshing walk in the countryside.

pink ² American  

[pingk] / pɪŋk /

verb (used with object)

pinks, present (3rd person singular) pinked, past participle, past pinking present participle

1. to pierce with a rapier or the like; stab.

2. to finish (fabric) at the edge with a scalloped, notched, or other pattern, as to prevent fraying or for ornament.

3. to punch (cloth, leather, etc.) with small holes or figures for ornament.

4. Chiefly British Dialect. to adorn or ornament, especially with scalloped edges or a punched-out pattern.

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pink ³ American  

[pingk] / pɪŋk /

noun

1. a vessel with a pink stern.

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pink ¹ British  

/ pɪŋk /

noun

1. any of a group of colours with a reddish hue that are of low to moderate saturation and can usually reflect or transmit a large amount of light; a pale reddish tint

2. pink cloth or clothing

   dressed in pink

3. any of various Old World plants of the caryophyllaceous genus Dianthus, such as D. plumarius ( garden pink ), cultivated for their fragrant flowers See also carnation

4. any of various plants of other genera, such as the moss pink

5. the flower of any of these plants

6. the highest or best degree, condition, etc (esp in the phrases in the pink of health, in the pink )

7. 1. a huntsman's scarlet coat

   2. a huntsman who wears a scarlet coat

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adjective

1. of the colour pink

2. informal left-wing

3. derogatory

   1. sympathetic to or influenced by Communism

   2. leftist or radical, esp half-heartedly

4. informal of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality

   the pink vote

5. (of a huntsman's coat) scarlet or red

verb

1. (intr) another word for knock

pink ² British  

/ pɪŋk /

verb

1. to prick lightly with a sword or rapier

2. to decorate (leather, cloth, etc) with a perforated or punched pattern

3. to cut with pinking shears

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pink ³ British  

/ pɪŋk /

noun

1. a sailing vessel with a narrow overhanging transom

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pink More Idioms  

1. see in the pink; tickled pink.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pinkness
  noun
• pinkish
  adjective
• pinky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• pinker
  comparative
• pinkest
  superlative

Participles

• pinking
  present
• pinked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pink
  simple
• pinks
  simple
• have pinked
  perfect
• has pinked
  perfect
• am pinking
  progressive
• are pinking
  progressive
• is pinking
  progressive
• have been pinking
  perfect progressive
• has been pinking
  perfect progressive

Past

• pinked
  simple
• had pinked
  perfect
• was pinking
  progressive
• were pinking
  progressive
• had been pinking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pink
  simple
• will have pinked
  perfect
• will be pinking
  progressive
• will have been pinking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pink¹

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Origin of pink²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pinge(n), pinken, pung(en) “to push (a door), batter, shove; prick, stab, pierce; punch holes in,” Old English pyngan “to prick,” possibly from Latin pungere “to prick, pierce”; cf. point ( def. ), puncheon ²

Origin of pink³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English pynck(e), from Middle Dutch pinke “fishing boat”

Explanation

Anything pink is colored a shade that's a combination of red and white. Young girls are traditionally dolled up in pink outfits, until they eventually rebel and refuse to wear pink as tweens. The color pink varies from a soft, pastel shade to a bold, bright one — but they're all a lighter version of red, or red with some white added. Many flowers are pink, and there are even a few known as pinks, or garden pinks. If your doctor tells you you're "in the pink" after your checkup, she means you're very healthy. The word began as the flower name, probably from Dutch, in which pink means "small."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pink pinker pinkest pinks pinked pinking

The restaurant has kept its dim pink lights, which Gabrielle notes, “made everybody look good.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The 38-year-old engineer said it was her husband's idea to bring Luna -- who dressed for the occasion in a pink tulle gown.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

As a former writer for his employer’s website, Abnernathy links his layoff — as well as pink slips for two dozen former colleagues — to AI’s rise.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

To mark the anniversary, he wore one of his original sparkling pink suits from the film.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Screaming inside, I placed my books on the table, the little pink and green flags sticking out from their pages.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

The fruit gets pinker in the processing and the drink has a pinkish hue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025

Watching Bernie on stage—his face growing steadily pinker, with sheet-white hair pouring out from the baseball cap protecting his bald spot from the sun—it is impossible not to feel some grief for the man.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2025

It’s best to season the sauce to taste: Adding more ketchup makes it sweeter and pinker; more lemon juice makes it tangier; more horseradish makes it sharper.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2023

"We just bought a new feeder and we just noticed their wool was gradually getting pinker and pinker," Mr Nicholson said.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2022

The little pink circles on his cheeks became even pinker.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech

The film took on a life of its own after a wild marketing blitz and “Oppenheimer” proximity, inspiring moviegoers to don their pinkest, most sparkly ensembles for group trips to the theaters.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

One letter in 1790 from a French cloth-maker included a piece of silk that he said demonstrated he had discovered how to make the "pinkest ever pink dye".

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2023

Blended with cooked beets for the prettiest, pinkest pancake breakfast ever or better yet, fluffed up and fried for restaurant-worthy onion rings, the humble pantry staple showed it really had the range.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2022

She was wearing a sleeveless dress the color of a grapefruit, the pinkest of peonies.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016

“With a worm, of course. Seagulls love worms, didn’t you know that? And luckily for us, we have here the biggest, fattest, pinkest, juiciest Earthworm in the world.”

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

Wearing blue jeans and a pink button-down blouse, she echoed the pastel blues and pinks that appear throughout many of the works surrounding her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

"It's stunningly beautiful and the Portuguese man o'war even more so because they have these kind of purples and pinks as well."

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Its decor of pinks, greens and bold patterns remains true to designer Dorothy Draper, who “Draperized” the resort after World War II when it served as a hospital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

On the wall behind the couch where clients sit, I hung a tapestry that features a sun rising over an abstract landscape of pinks and yellows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Printed on it are processed meats, cold cuts as tall as he is, reds and pinks, gray at the edges, garnished with parsley sprigs the size of shrubs.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Sissy and the others sat at the edge of the woods while dawn pinked the sky.

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2020

Keaton, standing behind his son and moving excitedly from side to side, pinked with delight.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 9, 2017

Cara buttoned hers over her nightshirt and pants, painted red lipstick on her mouth, pinked her cheeks.

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2013

As soon as he unclamped them, the kidney pinked up with blood flow.

From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2012

June’s smile returned, along with a blush that pinked up her cheeks, and now Ivy was back to thinking about pretty.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

If you don’t sew, don’t worry, she says, “you can cut them with pinking shears or use no-sew iron-on tape.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

“Another girl lived to be about 16, and I made it. So you’re looking at the luckiest guy in the world. In 1951, they operated on people with pinking shears and screwdrivers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2023

But before you start reaching for your pinking shears, there are some techniques and tools that can be used to aid his hang time.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2019

Like it or not — and some people don’t like it at all — the pinking of America has become a multibillion-dollar business, a marketing, merchandising and fund-raising opportunity that is almost unrivaled in scope.

From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2011

My embroidery hoops and a pair of pinking shears in an oilcloth sheath hung around my neck, threatening myself and others in the push and shove.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver