crimson
Americanadjective
-
deep purplish-red.
noun
verb (used with or without object)
-
crimsons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crimsoned,
past participle, past
-
crimsoning
present participle
noun
verb
-
to make or become crimson
-
(intr) to blush
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
crimsonsimple
-
crimsonssimple
-
have crimsonedperfect
-
has crimsonedperfect
-
am crimsoningprogressive
-
are crimsoningprogressive
-
is crimsoningprogressive
-
have been crimsoningperfect progressive
-
has been crimsoningperfect progressive
Past
-
crimsonedsimple
-
had crimsonedperfect
-
was crimsoningprogressive
-
were crimsoningprogressive
-
had been crimsoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crimson
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English cremesin, cremesie, crensein, crim(e)sin, from Medieval Latin cremesīnus, ultimately from Arabic qirmizī, equivalent to qirmiz + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; see origin at kermes; see also carmine, cramoisy
Explanation
Crimson is a deep, vivid shade of red. You could describe flowers, blood, or blushing cheeks as crimson. The ruby red color crimson shows up brilliantly in nature, in the form of flowers, birds, and insects. In fact, it was an insect that led to the word crimson in the first place; an insect called kermes was used for centuries to make a deep red dye, which was called cremesin in Old Spanish and eventually became crimson.
Vocabulary lists containing crimson
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Frindle
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Red
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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.
See Examples For:
The dim crimson haze can be easy to overlook, but it is created by powerful activity taking place far above Earth.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords upper chamber while wearing the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
But by now in early January those crimson leaves are probably already looking crumpled.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
We next enter a fictive chapel, with the Latin rite being celebrated by a set of crimson vestments and an altar cloth, made in Paris in 1619 and given by Louis XIII.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
Large crimson doors are guarded by two giant stone lions.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
Sunsets will seem to happen in slow motion, the full pallet of pinks and crimsons and rouge-reds lingering for an hour.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2014
Courtiers stride by in the muted gold and crimsons of Piero della Francesca; cobblestones and horsemen diminish into the serene infinities of Uccello.
From Time Magazine Archive
The ballet chorus, dressed in autumn colors as peasants, in regal purples and crimsons as court maidens, in severe white as swans, made a gorgeous frame for the principal action.
From Time Magazine Archive
The lines were angularly primitive, the colors warm turquoise blues, smoldering crimsons, emerald greens, rich topaz yellows.
From Time Magazine Archive
The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Junior smirked, crimsoned under his tan, and refused to say.*
From Time Magazine Archive
In perfect aesthetic juxtaposition, Gorey's costumes are funereal black, with ruby splashes in a proffered drink or a crimsoned pendant to accent the theme of Dracula's blood lust.
From Time Magazine Archive
At the far end of the room, Mathurin was moving restlessly about on his crutches, with crimsoned face, utterly unable to keep his nerves under control.
From Autumn Glory The Toilers of the Field by Ren? Bazin
Juliet, now, was crimsoned with shame and embarrassment.
From The Wanderer (Volume 3 of 5) or, Female Difficulties by Fanny Burney
Thus far the only evidences of his indulgence were an unusual sparkle of the eye, a crimsoned countenance and a bewildering flow of language.
From The Lash by Olin L. Lyman
“Truly a beautiful sight,” the periodical opined, “in direct contrast with the expanse of white, whether appearing in thinly scattered patches, or crimsoning the hills and plains for miles around.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
The frames sagged with exhaustion at the task of holding up the weight of crimsoning globes that hung on the vines.
From The Camp Fire Girls at Onoway House or, The Magic Garden by Hildegard G. (Hildegard Gertrude) Frey
"Candidly, Godfrey," I answered, crimsoning a little, "I—I don't know."
From That Affair at Elizabeth by Burton Egbert Stevenson
She lifted her head quickly, leaned back with hands caught tight in front of her, looked up into his face—her own crimsoning and paling as she took in the full meaning of it all.
From Erskine Dale?Pioneer by John Fox
The silhouette of horse and rider stood out stark, almost colossal, against the crimsoning skyline.
From In Jeopardy by Van Tassel Sutphen
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.
