coloring
AmericanUsage
Spelling tips for coloring The word coloring is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it can be tempting to use a double l or double r. Second, in British English, the word is spelled with a u (colouring), unlike in American English. How to spell coloring: When it comes to color, keep it simple. Too much color, and too many letters, is distracting. You don't need any extra letters, like a double l, double r, or u. Then, you add the suffix -ing to the base word color to form coloring.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of coloring
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at color, -ing 1
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.
See Examples For:
Jobs, goods and services have all but disappeared, with uncertainty coloring the future.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
Imagine squeezing a drop of food coloring into flowing water.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 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 “LA” monogram no longer includes gradient coloring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
The great sweeps of space and the hard, elemental coloring almost blinded him.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
If the Renaissance had been known as the Resurrection, might we be more aware of the period’s metaphysical colorings?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
Examples that can be found around us include various amino acids, including monosodium glutamate, food proteins, enzymes, flavoring compounds, food colorings, and bioactive substances.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2024
“He highlighted intriguing details, brought out myriad colorings, kept the pacing sure and never covered the singers,” Tommasini wrote.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
Those concerns have began to spur the demand for natural colorings — and there was Mexico’s cochineal dye all along.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
Beautiful are your grassy slopes and velvet meadows, asleep beneath the gleaming stars, awake under the mellow skies, reaching away in a panoramic view of exquisite colorings!
From Colorado?The Bright Romance of American History by Grable, F. C.
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.
