dye
Americannoun
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dyes
plural
-
a coloring material or matter.
-
a liquid containing coloring matter, for imparting a particular hue to cloth, paper, etc.
-
color or hue, especially as produced by dyeing.
verb (used with object)
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dyes,
present (3rd person singular)
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dyed,
past participle, past
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dyeing
present participle
-
to color or stain; treat with a dye; color (cloth, hair, etc.) with a substance containing coloring matter.
to dye a dress green.
-
to impart (color) by means of a dye.
The coloring matter dyed green.
verb (used without object)
-
dyes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dyed,
past participle, past
-
dyeing
present participle
-
to impart color, as a dye.
This brand dyes well.
-
to become colored or absorb color when treated with a dye.
This cloth dyes easily.
idioms
noun
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a staining or colouring substance, such as a natural or synthetic pigment
-
a liquid that contains a colouring material and can be used to stain fabrics, skins, etc
-
the colour or shade produced by dyeing
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dyernoun
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redyeverb (used with object)
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dyableadjective
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dyeableadjective
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undyableadjective
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undyedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dyesimple
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dyessimple
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have dyedperfect
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has dyedperfect
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am dyeingprogressive
-
are dyeingprogressive
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is dyeingprogressive
-
have been dyeingperfect progressive
-
has been dyeingperfect progressive
Past
-
dyedsimple
-
had dyedperfect
-
was dyeingprogressive
-
were dyeingprogressive
-
had been dyeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dye
before 1000; Middle English dien, Old English dēagian, derivative of dēag a dye
Explanation
Dye is a substance that's used to change the color of whatever it's applied to. You can use hair dye to change your light brown hair to deep, dark purple. Dye is used on fabrics, hair, yarn and other fibers, clothing, and food, among other things. When you apply dye to something, you dye it. If you're baking a birthday cake for your friend who loves the color orange, you might use food coloring — a type of dye — to dye the vanilla frosting orange. The Old English root of dye is deah, "a color or hue," which is possibly related to deagol, "secret, hidden, or dark."
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 other issue with expanding the use of red dye diesel, according to Ruisard, is that people and businesses - including rail operators - usually set aside a particular amount of the product.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Red dye exists for one reason: It lets a man with a flashlight tell whether you paid the tax.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
HHS’ headquarters was decked out for the event with red, white and blue lighting and posters depicting artificial food dye as a monster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Food and Drug Administration, which asked companies to more quickly remove red dye No. 3 — a similar synthetic food coloring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“The bottle's right here, next to his smelly aftershave. Eurghh, that stinks! Should I dye a bit of toilet paper as evidence?”
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Xu's video is artificially brightly coloured - common in microscopy and permitted in the contest - which is usually done manually using stains and dyes on the sample itself.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Traditionally, Japanese convenience stores have also required workers to adhere to relatively conservative dress codes, including bans on certain hair dyes and large earrings.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
He also recommends white cotton for clothing worn directly against the skin, but cautions that research into cotton dyes is in its infancy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
In-N-Out Burger this week announced several menu changes in line with a recent push to reduce use of artificial dyes and processed ingredients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Yes, she dyes the threads and then she makes pictures from them. No one else can do it. She has like a magic touch, they say. And they want her for that.”
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
Once dyed diesel is allowed for highway use, theft would be an “unintended consequence,” said Arrington.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
He still showed up to the victory party in Paris with his hair dyed blonde like Pogi’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
"I dyed my hair and skin and reduced my clothing to tatters. I carried my stuff in sacks."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Jimin, his hair grown long and dyed blond, was the night’s standout in a mesh top he paired with what looked an awful lot like somebody’s grandpa’s fishing vest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Oh, my big girl,” she said, her accent thick, her hair dyed blacker than ever.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
With spinning, weaving, dyeing and knitting facilities -- the Glo-Djigbe site exported its first garments in 2024 for the French retailer Kiabi, followed by other international brands such as US Polo.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The researchers hope their findings will encourage more thorough testing of clothing before it reaches consumers and push manufacturers to adopt safer alternatives during the dyeing process.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
I could try to combat inescapable existential dread by dyeing my hair.
From Salon ● Dec. 22, 2025
She doesn’t regret any of it — except for dyeing her hair orange, she confesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025
Cooling things down, staining and dyeing the evening purple and blue- black.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
