colour — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Commonwealth and Ireland standard spelling of color.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Substances float around each other until you crush them all with a blender. Add a bit of white miso, lemon juice, truffle oil, chives: survey your wreckage, which will be the wrong colour (cream with a hint of grey) and the wrong consistency (gluey).

Adjective

1. Commonwealth and Ireland standard spelling of color.

   Usage

   • not-comparable

   Related words

   colourimeter

Verb

1. Commonwealth and Ireland standard spelling of color.

Adjective

1. having or capable of producing colors

   Synonyms

   color

   Examples

   color film

   he rented a color television

   More examples (1)

   marvelous color illustrations

Noun

1. any material used for its color

   Synonyms

   coloring materialcolouring materialcolor

   Broader terms

   materialstuff

   Examples

   she used a different color for the trim

2. (physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction

   Synonyms

   color

   Broader terms

   kindsortformvariety

   Examples

   each flavor of quarks comes in three colors

3. interest and variety and intensity

   Synonyms

   colorvividness

   Broader terms

   interestinterestingness

   Examples

   the Puritan Period was lacking in color

   the characters were delineated with exceptional vividness

4. the timbre of a musical sound

   Synonyms

   colorcolorationcolouration

   Broader terms

   timbretimberqualitytone

   Examples

   the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music

5. a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

   Synonyms

   colorcoloringcolouring

   Broader terms

   visual property

   Examples

   a white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light

6. an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading

   Synonyms

   semblanceglosscolor

   Broader terms

   appearancevisual aspect

   Examples

   he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity

   he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction

   More examples (1)

   the situation soon took on a different color

7. the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation

   Synonyms

   color

   Broader terms

   appearancevisual aspect

Verb

1. modify or bias

   Synonyms

   color

   Broader terms

   influenceact uponwork

   Examples

   His political ideas color his lectures

2. decorate with colors

   Synonyms

   coloremblazon

   Broader terms

   decorateadorngraceornamentembellishbeautify

   Examples

   color the walls with paint in warm tones

3. give a deceptive explanation or excuse for

   Synonyms

   colorgloss

   Broader terms

   apologizeapologiseexcuserationalizerationalise

   Examples

   color a lie

4. affect as in thought or feeling

   Synonyms

   tingecolordistort

   Broader terms

   affectimpactbear uponbear ontouch ontouch

   Examples

   My personal feelings color my judgment in this case

   The sadness tinged his life

5. add color to

   Synonyms

   colorcolorizecolorisecolourisecolourizecolor incolour in

   Broader terms

   changealtermodify

   Examples

   The child colored the drawings

   Fall colored the trees

   More examples (1)

   colorize black and white film

6. change color, often in an undesired manner

   Synonyms

   discolordiscolourcolor

   Broader terms

   change

   Examples

   The shirts discolored