beige
Americannoun
adjective
noun
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a very light brown, sometimes with a yellowish tinge, similar to the colour of undyed wool
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( as adjective )
beige gloves
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a fabric made of undyed or unbleached wool
Etymology
Origin of beige
1855–60; < French; Old French bege, of uncertain origin
Explanation
Beige is a tan color with a reputation for being neutral, if not boring. Khaki pants and coffee with lots of cream might be beige. Beige does not sound the way it looks. The "ei" is pronounced like a long "a" (as in "cake") and the "g" is a soft "zh" sound. This is because beige comes straight out of French, where it originally meant a fabric of the color we now know as beige. See? Beige has some interesting qualities for such a boring color.
Vocabulary lists containing beige
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In rural Modoc County, in California’s remote northeast corner, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton donned a beige cowboy hat and climbed atop a horse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
And once my fall appetite returns — the appetite for the beige and the brown — I make mushrooms.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Eastern, and the Federal Reserve’s beige book of economic anecdotes, due at 2 p.m.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Dressed in a beige suit and a silk scarf, Bin Hassan spoke to AFP at the Memphis Islamic Center as it hosted a candidate forum, during which voters could also learn about the new districts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
He pulls up to the drop-off area, and I’m staring at the glowing red letters that spell “EMERGENCY” across the side of the beige building.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
