colours

British  

/ ˈkʌləz /

plural noun

1. 1. the flag that indicates nationality

   2. military the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the colours

2. 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

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

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

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

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

7. 1. to refuse to admit defeat

   2. to declare openly one's opinions or allegiances

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Example Sentences

The main Raise the Colours account on X said on Saturday it had nothing to do with the operation led by Thomas.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

According to the French authorities, Thomas leads a "very radical" branch of the "Raise the Colours" movement, which was formed following a split after the French entry ban.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

The flag movement gathered pace on social media, with the name Operation Raise the Colours.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

Engineers have adopted certain colours to represent particular materials; these are given in the following table:— Table showing Colours used to represent Different Materials.

From An Introduction to Machine Drawing and Design by Low, David Allan