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lend color to

Idioms  
  1. Embellish, especially to give the appearance of truth. For example, I'm sure he lied about reaching the summit; that detailed account about losing his pack merely lent color to the story. This expression uses color in the sense of “appearance of authenticity.” [Late 1700s]


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.

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Winter bulbs followed by blazing banks of mature rhododendrons, azaleas and flowering trees in spring lend color to this decidedly green garden.

From Seattle Times Aug. 26, 2022

In my own State to give any countenance to such a movement would tend to compromise me and lend color to the misrepresentations that apparently are being made in other States.

From Time Magazine Archive

In this unexciting campaign, it is the junior partners rather than the presidential candidates who lend color to the proceedings.

From Time Magazine Archive

The purr of Czech motorbikes and the chatter of lovers drinking Bulgarian wine beside Lake Hoan Kien lend color to the clean but dour city.

From Time Magazine Archive

There are some passages in the Bible which apparently lend color to the idea that a person's acts are determined from on high.

From A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy by Isaac Husik

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