pink

[ pingk ]

See synonyms for pink on Thesaurus.com

noun

a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.
any of several plants of the genus Dianthus, as the clove pink or carnation.: Compare pink family.

the flower of such a plant; carnation.
the highest or best form, degree, or example of something: Those runners are in the pink of condition. Her parties are the pink of perfection.
Older Slang: Disparaging. pinko.
Business Informal. a carbon copy, as of a sales slip or invoice, made on pink tissue paper.
pinks,
- Fox Hunting. pink coat.
- pinkish-tan gabardine trousers formerly worn by military officers as part of the dress uniform.
the scarlet color of hunting pinks.

adjective,pink·er, pink·est.

of the color pink: pink marble.
Older Slang: Disparaging.
- holding mildly leftist political opinions.
- leaning toward communist ideology.

Informal. of or relating to gay people or gay sexual orientation.

Idioms about pink

in the pink, healthy, physically fit, or in high spirits: I’m feeling very much in the pink today, after a refreshing walk in the countryside.
tickled pink. tickle (def. 11).

Origin of pink

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Other words from pink

pink·ness, noun

Other definitions for pink (2 of 3)

pink²

[ pingk ]

verb (used with object)

to pierce with a rapier or the like; stab.
to finish (fabric) at the edge with a scalloped, notched, or other pattern, as to prevent fraying or for ornament.

to punch (cloth, leather, etc.) with small holes or figures for ornament.
Chiefly British Dialect. to adorn or ornament, especially with scalloped edges or a punched-out pattern.

Origin of pink

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pinge(n), pinken, pung(en) “to push (a door), batter, shove; prick, stab, pierce; punch holes in,” Old English pyngan “to prick,” possibly from Latin pungere “to prick, pierce”; cf. point, puncheon²

Other definitions for pink (3 of 3)

pink³

[ pingk ]

noun

a vessel with a pink stern.

Origin of pink

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English pynck(e), from Middle Dutch pinke “fishing boat”

Also pinky .

Compare pink stern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pink in a sentence

There were also Juicy Couture-style tracksuits in a spectrum of pinks, as well as in-your-face silver leggings.
Valentino, Chanel, and Alexander McQueen at Paris Fashion Week | Liza Foreman | March 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The palette was gentle and pretty, focusing on rose pinks, lavenders, dusky mauve, mint, faun and pale lemon.
Burberry Prorsum Spring/ Summer 2014 | Tom Sykes | September 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Designer Frida Giannini let the collection scream not-so-subtle sexuality, with florescent pinks, silk and red-hot silhouettes.
Photo of The Day: Gucci’s ‘Unfussy Femininity’ | Anna Klassen | September 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
To the Old Spring Garden, and there walked long, and the wenches gathered pinks.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete | Samuel Pepys
Mr. Pinks is dead—the fellow, you know, who got the seat at the general election.
The Tragic Muse | Henry James

June is also the proper time to propagate pinks and carnations by pipings.
The Book of Sports: | William Martin
He was sitting huddled up on the bank, and twisting in his fingers some pinks which he had gathered in my friend's garden.
A Desperate Character and Other Stories | Ivan Turgenev
And they went outside together, the black domino with the pinks having scarcely turned her head.
The conquest of Rome | Matilde Serao

British Dictionary definitions for pink (1 of 3)

pink¹

/ (pɪŋk) /

noun

any of a group of colours with a reddish hue that are of low to moderate saturation and can usually reflect or transmit a large amount of light; a pale reddish tint
pink cloth or clothing: dressed in pink

any of various Old World plants of the caryophyllaceous genus Dianthus, such as D. plumarius (garden pink), cultivated for their fragrant flowers: See also carnation (def. 1)
any of various plants of other genera, such as the moss pink
the flower of any of these plants
the highest or best degree, condition, etc (esp in the phrases in the pink of health, in the pink)
- a huntsman's scarlet coat
- a huntsman who wears a scarlet coat

adjective

of the colour pink
British informal left-wing

US derogatory
- sympathetic to or influenced by Communism
- leftist or radical, esp half-heartedly
informal of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality: the pink vote
(of a huntsman's coat) scarlet or red

verb

(intr) another word for knock (def. 7)

Origin of pink

C16 (the flower), C18 (the colour): perhaps a shortening of pinkeye

Derived forms of pink

pinkish, adjective
pinkness, noun
pinky, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for pink (2 of 3)

pink²

/ (pɪŋk) /

verb(tr)

to prick lightly with a sword or rapier
to decorate (leather, cloth, etc) with a perforated or punched pattern

to cut with pinking shears

Origin of pink

C14: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Low German pinken to peck

British Dictionary definitions for pink (3 of 3)

pink³

/ (pɪŋk) /

noun

a sailing vessel with a narrow overhanging transom

Origin of pink

C15: from Middle Dutch pinke, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with pink

pink

see in the pink; tickled pink.

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