the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.
the natural appearance of the skin, especially of the face; complexion.
She has a lovely color.
a ruddy complexion.
The wind and sun had given color to the sailor's face.
a blush.
His remarks brought the color to her face.
vivid or distinctive quality, as of a literary work.
Melville's description of a whaling voyage is full of color.
details in description, customs, speech, habits, etc., of a place or period.
The novel takes place in New Orleans and contains much local color.
something that is used for coloring; pigment; paint; tint; dye.
background information, as anecdotes about players or competitors or analyses of plays, strategy, or performance, given by a sportscaster to heighten interest in a sportscast.
colors,
any distinctive color or combination or pattern of colors, especially of a badge, ribbon, uniform, or the like, worn or displayed as a symbol of or to identify allegiance to, membership in, or sponsorship by a school, group, or organization.
nature, viewpoint, or attitude; character; personality.
His behavior in a crisis revealed his true colors.
a flag, ensign, etc., particularly the national flag.
U.S. Navy. the ceremony of hoisting the national flag at 8 a.m. and of lowering it at sunset.
skin complexion as a characteristic of a particular people or ethnic group, especially when other than white: a person of color; a man of color; children of color.
one's religion and color;
a person of color;
people of color;
a man of color;
alumni of color;
children of color.
outward appearance or aspect; guise or show.
It was a lie, but it had the color of the truth.
a pretext.
She did it under the color of doing a good deed.
Painting. the general use or effect of the pigments in a picture.
Phonetics. timbre.
Chiefly Law. an apparent or prima facie right or ground.
to hold possession under color of title.
Music. tone color.
a trace or particle of valuable mineral, especially gold, as shown by washing auriferous gravel.
Physics. any of the labels red, green, or blue that designate the three states in which quarks are expected to exist, or any of the corresponding labels for antiquark states.
Printing. the amount of ink used.
Heraldry. a tincture other than a fur or metal, usually including gules, azure, vert, sable, and purpure.
call to the colors, to summon for service in the armed forces.
Thousands are being called to the colors.
change color,
to blush as from embarrassment.
to turn pale, as from fear.
When he saw the size of his opponent, he changed color.
with flying colors. flying colors.
of color, belonging to a racial or ethnic group that is not white and generally not associated with European descent or not characterized by slight or light pigmentation of the skin; nonwhite.
Women of color have higher gendered wage gaps than white women.
The program is aimed at supporting children of color with an interest in acting.
People of color are often underrepresented in the sciences.
The sensation produced by the effect of light waves striking the retina of the eye. The color of something depends mainly on which wavelengths of light it emits, reflects, or transmits.
Color charge.
See also hadron
See -or 1.
See black.
When beams of colored light are mixed, or added, their wavelengths combine to form other colors. All spectral colors can be formed by mixing wavelengths corresponding to the additive primaries red, green, and blue. When two of the additive primaries are mixed in equal proportion, they form the complement of the third. Thus cyan (a mixture of green and blue) is the complement of red; magenta (a mixture of blue and red) is the complement of green; and yellow (a mixture of red and green) is the complement of blue. Mixing the three additive primaries in equal proportions reconstitutes white light. When light passes through a color filter, certain wavelengths are absorbed, or subtracted, while others are transmitted. The subtractive primaries cyan, magenta, and yellow can be combined using overlapping filters to form all other colors. When two of the subtractive primaries are combined in equal proportion, they form the additive primary whose wavelength they share. Thus overlapping filters of cyan (blue and green) and magenta (blue and red) filter out all wavelengths except blue; magenta (blue and red) and yellow (red and green) transmit only red; and yellow (red and green) and cyan (blue and green) transmit only green. Combining all three subtractive primaries in equal proportions filters out all wavelengths, producing black. Light striking a colored surface behaves similarly to light passing through a filter, with certain wavelengths being absorbed and others reflected. Pigments are combined to form different colors by a process of subtractive absorption of various wavelengths.
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English col(o)ur, from Anglo-French ( French couleur ), from Latin colōr- (stem of color ) “hue”
From the Latin word colōrētur
You may think the word color just means blue, pink, and the like, but the word can also refer to something of interest, especially of culture or behavior. If you want to see some local color in an Irish town, you should head to the pub where all the locals hang out. As a verb, color can mean to give bias to something. A bad experience on the first day of school will color how you feel about school for the rest of the year. Another meaning of the verb color is to misrepresent or deceive. If someone colors their telling of a story in which they brought a cat down from a tree, they may make it seem like they rescued two little kids, three kittens and a parrot from a burning building.
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Getting the color and appearance right for the icing on cupcakes alone required a nearly thirtyfold increase in natural ingredients.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
In it, a character named Tor explains her idiosyncratic job: “I’m a color expert. Color is the exact opposite of conservation. It’s made of light. It changes constantly.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
By examining the fossil under ultraviolet light, researchers uncovered new evidence about its skin, sensory structures, respiratory anatomy, and possible color pattern.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Lorena Gonzalez, president of California Labor Federation, said Regan’s union is overwhelmingly comprised of women and women of color, who just reelected him to a position he’s held for 16 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The fungi were a stunning blue, the color of a bitter-cold sky, but that lovely exterior hid a deadly poison.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"I love color. I love painting. I love shapes. I love composition. I love the people all around me. I'm adoring it all. My legacy is in the hands of other people."
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Our study also revealed that the nasal appendages can change quickly in terms of length, shape, and color. Their evolution is possibly driven by the respective preferences of females in mate selection."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2025
“Because it’s so simple, tiny little details will change the texture or the flavor or the color. It could just be, like, the humidity in the room.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
“Inspired by the most loveable ingredient of all, Butter is more than an indulgent, joyful color. It's an invitation to savor life's simple heartfelt moments,” the brand added.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2025
“No. I will not cut my hair,” I say, “or dye it a strange color. Or pierce my face.”
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
“We hope this industry continues to reinvent itself,” they write, “but with better-quality ingredients, less sugar, no artificial colors or flavors, and more organic ingredients in cereals priced so everyone can afford them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
After each attempt, Wordle uses colors to show how close the player is:
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
One of its brightest colors is fuschia, a hue that Ruiz says Rosales has been obsessed with lately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is available in two colors, "star white" and "night sky."
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
There were apparently rules about how to mix and match the plates and cups, which were all different colors.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
During his decades-long career, Max created brightly colored graphic images and was credited with capturing the essence of the 1960s "summer of love" and psychedelia.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
She also noted that as the diamond sector softens, shoppers have become more interested in colored gems.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
That day, he also saw groups of uniquely colored manta rays — some were a tan brown, and others were gray with a black stripe, called spinetail devil rays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Give the book points, though, for including Ms. Korsgaard’s brilliantly colored illustrations of the butterflies she encountered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Cat thought of the rainbow of colored pencils, the drawings of ships with their detail and power, the maps of imaginary places.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
She believes the coloring helps them camouflage among she-oak flowers, with which they are closely associated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Jobs, goods and services have all but disappeared, with uncertainty coloring the future.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
People who had higher intakes of beta-carotene as a food coloring had a 44% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, compared with those who had a lower intake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Their vivid blue coloring is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
The next customer comes in, and Roza shows her my clothes on purpose, going on and on about how perfectly suited they are to this woman's coloring, and makes the sale.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Definitions 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.
