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colours

British  
/ ˈkʌləz /

plural noun

    1. the flag that indicates nationality

    2. military the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the colours

  1. a pair of silk flags borne by a military unit, esp British, comprising the Queen's Colour showing the unit's crest, and the Regimental Colour showing the crest and battle honours

  2. true nature or character (esp in the phrase show one's colours )

  3. a distinguishing badge or flag, as of an academic institution

  4. sport a badge or other symbol denoting membership of a team, esp at a school or college

  5. informal a distinguishing embroidered patch denoting membership of a motorcycle gang

    1. to refuse to admit defeat

    2. to declare openly one's opinions or allegiances

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Across the globe in Australia, a toddler with speech delays delighted her family with her first word - "orange" - after she and her twin sister received a free book in the post about colours.

From BBC Aug. 29, 2026

"Not only did they learn their colours from that book… it kind of set the tone for them speaking and their joy for books."

From BBC Aug. 29, 2026

As they craft, artisans chant aloud the design code handwritten on a strip of paper known as talim -- shorthand of ancient symbols for numbers and colours -- knotting the threads string by string.

From Barron's Aug. 27, 2026

The hand-spun yarn dyed in natural colours is woven on handlooms, packing in between 300 and several thousand knots per square inch, depending on the intricacy of the design.

From Barron's Aug. 27, 2026

And we are out here, and the city is there, all wrapped up in its own coat of a thousand colours.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

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