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• rose
  rose

  noun

  any of the wild or cultivated, usually prickly-stemmed, pinnate-leaved, showy-flowered shrubs of the genus Rosa.
• rosé
  rosé

  noun

  a pale pink wine resembling white wine in taste, made from red grapes by removing the skins from the must before fermentation is completed.
• Rose
  Rose

  noun

  Billy, 1899–1966, U.S. theatrical producer.

rose

¹ American  

[rohz] / roʊz /

noun

• roses
  plural

1. any of the wild or cultivated, usually prickly-stemmed, pinnate-leaved, showy-flowered shrubs of the genus Rosa.

2. any of various related or similar plants.

3. the flower of any such shrub, of a red, pink, white, or yellow color.

4. the traditional reddish color of this flower, variously a purplish red, pinkish red, or light crimson.

5. an ornament shaped like or suggesting this flower.

6. a pink or pinkish-red color in the cheek.

7. rose window.

8. Heraldry. a representation of a wild rose with five petals, usually seeded and barbed in a symmetrical design and used especially as the cadency mark of a seventh son.

9. any of various diagrams showing directions radiating from a common center, as a compass card or wind rose.

10. Jewelry.

    1. an obsolete gem style or cut, flat on the bottom and having an upper side with from 12, or fewer, to 32 triangular facets.

    2. a gem with this cut.

11. a perforated cap or plate, as at the end of a pipe or the spout of a watering pot, to break a flow of water into a spray.

12. an ornamental plate or socket surrounding the shaft of a doorknob at the face of a door.

13. Mathematics. a plane polar curve consisting of three or more equal loops that meet at the origin. Equation: r = a sin(nθ ) or r = a cos(nθ ).

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adjective

1. of the color rose.

2. for, containing, or growing roses.

   a rose garden.

3. scented like a rose.

verb (used with object)

rosed, rosing

1. to make rose-colored.

2. to flush (the face, cheeks, etc.).

idioms

1. come up roses, to turn out all right; result in success, glory, or profit.

   Despite setbacks, things should come up roses in the long run.

2. come out smelling like a rose, to escape negative consequences, especially to find one’s good reputation unaffected by a bad situation or scandalous association.

rose ² American  

[rohz] / roʊz /

verb

1. simple past tense of rise.

2. Nonstandard. a past participle of rise.

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rosé ³ American  

[roh-zey] / roʊˈzeɪ /

noun

• rosés
  plural

1. a pale pink wine resembling white wine in taste, made from red grapes by removing the skins from the must before fermentation is completed.

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Rose ⁴ American  

[rohz] / roʊz /

noun

1. Billy, 1899–1966, U.S. theatrical producer.

2. Peter Edward PeteCharlie Hustle, born 1941, U.S. baseball player.

3. Mount, a mountain in W Nevada, the highest in the Carson Range. 10,778 feet (3,285 meters).

4. a female given name.

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rose ¹ British  

/ rəʊz /

noun

1. 1. any shrub or climbing plant of the rosaceous genus Rosa , typically having prickly stems, compound leaves, and fragrant flowers

   2. ( in combination )

      rosebush

      rosetree

2. the flower of any of these plants

3. any of various similar plants, such as the rockrose and Christmas rose

4. 1. a moderate purplish-red colour; purplish pink

   2. ( as adjective )

      rose paint

5. a rose, or a representation of one, as the national emblem of England

6. jewellery

   1. a cut for a diamond or other gemstone, having a hemispherical faceted crown and a flat base

   2. a gem so cut

7. a perforated cap fitted to the spout of a watering can or the end of a hose, causing the water to issue in a spray

8. a design or decoration shaped like a rose; rosette

9. Also called: ceiling rose.  electrical engineering a circular boss attached to a ceiling through which the flexible lead of an electric-light fitting passes

10. history See red rose white rose

11. a situation of comfort or ease

12. in secret; privately; sub rosa

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verb

1. (tr) to make rose-coloured; cause to blush or redden

rose ² British  

/ rəʊz /

verb

1. the past tense of rise

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rosé ³ British  

/ ˈrəʊzeɪ /

noun

1. any pink wine, made either by removing the skins of red grapes after only a little colour has been extracted or by mixing red and white wines

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rose More Idioms  

1. see bed of roses; come up roses; see through rose-colored glasses.

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Usage

What does rose mean? The rose is a bulbous, fragrant flower that comes in many different varieties and colors, including red, white, pink, and yellow. They are among the world’s most popular and best-known flowers. The word rose can also refer to the plant on which roses grow, a shrub that’s commonly called a rosebush. Most rose plants are perennial shrubs. Roses are known for having sharp thorns on their stems. Roses belong to the genus Rosa, which includes many different species and  cultivated varieties. Roses are popular in gardens, especially formal ones. The kind of roses most commonly given as gifts are called hybrid tea roses. These are especially given as a symbol of romantic love, such as on special occasions like anniversaries or Valentine’s Day. Different colors of roses are said to symbolize different things, especially when given as gifts. While all roses are associated with romantic love, red roses have an especially strong association. White roses can be used to represent innocence, while yellow roses can be used to represent friendship. The rose is one of the June birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). The word rose is also used to refer to a color—variously a pinkish red, a purplish red, or a dark crimson (all of which can be colors of roses). The related adjective rosy is used to describe a reddish or pinkish tinge, often of skin, as in rosy cheeks. Unrelatedly, the word rose is also the past tense of the verb rise. Example: I know that sending a dozen red roses is a cliché, but my wife loves them.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• roseless
  adjective
• roselike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• roses
  plural
• rosés
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rose¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English rōse, from Latin rosa; possibly via Etruscan ruze, rusi, a noun of uncertain meaning, from Greek rhodéa “rosebush,” from rhódon “rose”

Origin of rosé³

First recorded in 1425–75; from French: literally, “pink”; the variant blush wine first recorded in 1980–85

Explanation

A rose is a flower that people in love give each other. Even though Juliet says to Romeo, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” don’t go calling it a dandelion. Roses have multi-layered petals and smell wonderfully sweet. They come in a wide variety of colors that can convey various meanings: a single red rose, for example, sometimes means, "I love you." Rose is also the past tense of rise, as in “Yesterday, the water rose to the top.” As an adjective, rose means "pink," and when the word is pronounced row-SAY, it means a rose-colored wine. The Latin source of rose is rosa, which probably comes from an Iranian root.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rose rosé Rose roses rosés rosed rosing

U.S. stocks rose Friday after July payroll data came in far weaker than expected, giving the Federal Reserve reason to hold off on raising interest rates next month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Iranians rose up in mass protests just months ago and could do so again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Nvidia’s stock rose on Friday to secure its best weekly performance in more than a year, following a major endorsement for its artificial-intelligence chips and further confirmation that hyperscaler spending is robust.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

U.S. stocks rose Friday and Treasury yields fell after July payroll data came in far weaker than expected, giving the Federal Reserve reason to hold off on raising interest rates next month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Panic rose, and suddenly, she was back in front of the class; everybody was staring at her, and she was tongue-tied.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

"Activated charcoal can remove the smoky taste from rosé and white wine," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

"Look at Australia," says German fan Julia Arnolde, interrupting a bottle of rosé to share her opinon.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

She also lends her expertise to the family winery, Casa Locé in Ojai, which produces rosé and sparkling Chardonnay under her Lucky Girl label.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

‘Valentine’s Day is no longer all about roses and rosé … the stereotypical cliché gifts of the past are shifting to those that actually make everyday sense.’

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026

Otherwise, a glass of rosé and Bravo is pretty darn good.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

WPP shares surged after the advertising group said its key top-line metric fell less sharply last quarter, with CEO Cindy Rose crediting her turnaround plan with driving a run of account wins, Adrià Calatayud writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The area borders the vast Rose Atoll marine sanctuary, where endangered species of Hawksbill turtle thrive on vibrant reefs.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

“In terms of what’s driving our new business momentum, I would say our clients are responding very well to our integration and simplification,” Rose said on the call in response to a question.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Rose, 24, is part of swimming group Cow Tower Dippers which meets at the river most weekends.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Together, the musical instruments suggest that there might well have been a band of musicians aboard the Mary Rose.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Sylvia Phillips was discovered wrapped in a leopard print silk blanket, with yellow and pink roses placed on her body, as well as a birthday card signed from him and the family dog Tina.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Lee kept some plants that have been growing in the yard for decades, like the jasmine climbing around the front of the house as well as the white roses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Its bright orange shade looked almost neon against the phantasmagoric roses bursting from the carpeting and wallpaper—every inch of this underworld custom-calibrated for a blindingly colorful ride.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

One hundred roses and a cake will be placed at the site, a symbol of Hollywood's golden age and a popular tourist hotspot.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

It had a flowery print of roses and looked like a summer dress.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Note: Different rosés will taste different, so adjust the lime juice and simple syrup to your liking.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

If you think you don’t like rosé, explore different types, especially if you’ve only had the very pale rosés that are in vogue or tasted ones that seemed insipid or too sweet.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

And here are Eric’s picks of 12 exceptional rosés from $13 to $35.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

And start your patio party with either of these two rosés from France’s Mediterranean coast.

From Washington Post ● May 26, 2022

To round out this week’s springtime selection, we have two rosés from southern France and an impressive, inexpensive pinot noir from California.

From Washington Post ● May 5, 2022

Picotee’s face was rosed over with the brilliance of some excitement. 

From The Hand of Ethelberta by Hardy, Thomas

With slow foot The low rosed moon, the face of Music mute, Begins among her silent bars to climb.

From Poems — Volume 1 by Meredith, George

And does a cheek, like any sea-shell rosed, Or clear as widowed sky, seem most divine?

From Poems — Volume 1 by Meredith, George

It is a beautiful little type, "rosed from top to toe in flush of youth."

From Fragments of an Autobiography by Moscheles, Felix

Succourful daughters of men are the rosed and starred Revolving Twelves in their fluent germinal rings, Despite the burden to chasten, abase, depose.

From Poems — Volume 3 by Meredith, George

I found a thicket and slept; slept it must have been for many hours, for when I again awakened the dawn was rosing the east.

From The Moon Pool by Merritt, Abraham

Roses in a royal throng,   Surging, rosing from the east!

From The poetical works of George MacDonald in two volumes — Volume 2 by MacDonald, George

Related Words

• red