ombre

American  

[om-brey] / ˈɒm breɪ /

Or ombré

adjective

1. having a pattern in which colors or tones fade into one another: The dress has an ombre effect with various intensities of purple fading to white.

   Her ombre hair goes from brown at the top to bleached blond at the bottom.

   The dress has an ombre effect with various intensities of purple fading to white.

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ombre British  

/ ˈɒmbə /

noun

1. an 18th-century card game

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Etymology

Origin of ombre

First recorded in 1840–45; from French ombré “shadowed, shaded,” past participle of ombrer, from Italian ombrare “to cover in shadow” (in painting); see origin at umber, umbra ( def. )

Example Sentences

Kiki Rice dribbled to the hoop, deked and then put up a shot over the Toronto Tempo practice squad, crisp ombre blue-and-burgundy nails releasing the ball into the basket.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

Young poet Gurpreet Saini, who performs at cultural festivals across India, says he sources his shawls - printed with ombre Gurmukhi letters - from Hariana, his hometown in Punjab, for a distinctive look.

From BBC • May 31, 2025

Edibiri’s outfit is on theme — she is head to toe in an ombre floral gown — but it doesn’t do much for her quirky personality.

From Salon • May 7, 2024

A twisty tendril of vapor in white-to-red ombre could be seen snaking behind a bright white light in parts of South Korea’s sky Friday evening.

From Washington Times • Dec. 30, 2022

She looked gorgeous, with this ombre lip gloss and a deep burgundy strapless dress that set off her blond hair.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon