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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

Brent crude rose 2.7% to $90.87 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Infant tuition at the centers rose 4% this year amid budget woes at UCLA, which announced in March that its central accounts faced a projected deficit of $220 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Hopkin and Tyler both grew up near each other in Wales and Tyler said a reason she changed her name was to avoid confusion between the two as she rose to fame.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index of U.S. home builder confidence rose slightly to 35 in August from 34 in July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

A whimper rose from behind Lloyd’s pillow, and maybe mine.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

"I love a chilled red and have done for quite a while," she says, calling it "rosé for grown-ups".

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

And when panelist Geoffrey Chen, a British luxury investor, dismissed rosé as often-inferior, my neighbor hid his freshly ordered glass of pink wine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 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

Parents have been concerned about the school since the summer when executive director David Hussey and assistant principal in charge of athletics Devon Rose were ousted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

German manager Marco Rose will succeed Andoni Iraola at Vitality Stadium this season after the Spaniard departed having led the Cherries to their first ever European qualification.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Canadian designers Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran founded the label after meeting as fashion students in Montreal.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

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

Alexzandra Hildred, the head of research and curator of human remains at the Mary Rose Trust stated, “We never expected this diversity to be so rich.”

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

In the front gardens, yellow and red roses bloom to match the houses’ exteriors; in the back, a sunny 4-foot cocktail pool with a natural limestone border awaits guests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Fresh and elegant, with serious tannins, aromas of violets and roses and flavors including pomegranate and big, ripe red berries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 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

Their garden now includes a greenhouse, a pond, hedges, raised beds and plenty of roses, with some of the design inspired by fellow gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

The scent of sunscreen and roses floated by on the warm air.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

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

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

Hecht & Bannier produces several delicious rosés from southern France, the spiritual homeland of pink wine.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023

Grahm is banking on an obscure grape called tibouren, which figures prominently in rosés grown around Saint-Tropez on the Côte d’Azur.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2022

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

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

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

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

From Poems — Volume 1 by George Meredith

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

From The Hand of Ethelberta by Thomas Hardy

She sank; she snatched at colours; they were peel Of fruit past savour, in derision rosed.

From Poems — Volume 3 by George Meredith

Alas, a crimson river of warm blood, Like to a bubbling fountain stirr'd with wind, Doth rise and fall between thy rosed lips, Coming and going with thy honey breath.

From The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

"I feel like Jupiter!" he called, rubbing his sides, and back, standing on one foot to dry the other, his glossy skin all rosed in patches from his vigorous rubbing.

From Shadows of Flames A Novel by Amélie Rives

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

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

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 Abraham Merritt

Related Words

• red