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:
"They even have make-up artists to help you," she said as she mounted a crimson superbike, wrapped her arms around her driver and sped off with a videographer in pursuit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Some attendees arrived with dyed crimson hair, others with orange or pink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
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
Chase Infiniti, who plays Leonardo DiCaprio's daughter in One Battle After Another, wore a sculpted, deep crimson dress which flared out beautifully at the bottom.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
The scale flashed in the sunlight, catching the sunshine and staining it crimson.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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 lines were angularly primitive, the colors warm turquoise blues, smoldering crimsons, emerald greens, rich topaz yellows.
From Time Magazine Archive
Decked in calm crimsons, blues and yellows, like their 13th Century counterparts, Mr. Saint's saints & sinners glowed from the glass with equal clarity.
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
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
Junior smirked, crimsoned under his tan, and refused to say.*
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly Goldberg, Goldberg of the illimitable brow, sprang to his feet with shaking fist and crimsoned face.
From The Lash by Olin L. Lyman
Here Mrs. Arabel crimsoned, and stopped short, as if she had been very nearly betrayed into saying something which was not entirely complimentary.
From Lost Sir Massingberd, v. 1/2 A Romance of Real Life by James Payn
William, child though he was, crimsoned to the roots of his brown hair.
From The Making of William Edwards or The Story of the Bridge of Beauty by Mrs. G. Linnaeus Banks
“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 silhouette of horse and rider stood out stark, almost colossal, against the crimsoning skyline.
From In Jeopardy by Van Tassel Sutphen
A log burnt low in the fire-place, crimsoning the silver light.
From Old Kensington by Miss Thackeray
But the maid was crimsoning uncomfortably, for at this moment there arose the sound of some one playing the piano in the music room near by.
From The Camp Fire Girls Across the Seas by Margaret Vandercook
Lilian wondered, with a crimsoning of her face, whether she had betrayed the relief she certainly experienced on discovering that his injuries were not serious; and then she closed the window with somewhat unnecessary violence.
From The League of the Leopard by Harold Bindloss
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.
