COLOUR


Meaning of COLOUR in English

INDEX:

1. a colour

2. to be a particular colour

3. brightly coloured

4. light colours

5. dark colours

6. having no colour

7. photograph/film/television

8. to change the colour of something

9. to lose colour

RELATED WORDS

see also

↑ PAINT

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1. a colour

▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]

▪ What’s your favourite colour?

▪ I like nice bright colours like yellow and pink

▪ What colour is his hair?

▪ Look carefully at the rear door. It’s not quite the same colour as the rest of the car.

▪ The chameleon is able to change colour to protect itself.

▷ shade /ʃeɪd/ [countable noun]

a particular type of one colour, which is darker or lighter than other types of the same colour :

▪ When buying make-up, choose the right shade to match your skin.

shade of blue/green etc

▪ Valerie’s eyes are a beautiful shade of blue.

▪ In the fall, the woods are full of countless shades of brown, yellow and orange.

▷ tint /tɪnt/ [countable noun]

a small amount of a particular colour in something that is mostly another colour :

▪ The sun shining on her head gave her hair an attractive red tint.

▪ The glass had a bluish tint to it, like ice.

▪ It was October, and the leaves had begun to take on their warm autumn tints.

▷ vivid /ˈvɪvɪd, ˈvɪvəd/ [adjective]

a vivid colour is very bright and noticeable, especially in a way that is attractive :

▪ a vivid blue sky

▪ a cloud of vivid yellow butterflies

▷ hue /hjuː/ [countable noun]

a colour or a shade of a colour :

▪ The Prince wore majestic robes of a rich purple hue.

▷ colouring British /coloring American /ˈkʌlərɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]

the colour of a person’s or animal’s hair, skin, or eyes :

▪ This lipstick is perfect for your coloring.

▪ People with very light colouring need to protect themselves from the sun as they burn easily.

▪ Many poisonous animals have distinctive coloring that is easily recognized.

2. to be a particular colour

▷ be /bi strong biː/ [verb]

be red/green etc

▪ The Japanese flag is white with a red circle in the middle.

▪ Frogs are green, toads are brown. That’s how you tell the difference.

▪ ‘What colour is your car?’ ‘It’s black.’

▷ coloured British /colored American /ˈkʌləʳd/ [adjective usually before noun]

having one or more colours and not black or white :

▪ The front door was painted blue and had a coloured glass panel in it.

▪ You can make Christmas decorations from almost anything -- beads, colored ribbons, sea shells -- anything.

brightly coloured

▪ The cages were full of brightly- coloured tropical birds.

▷ tinted /ˈtɪntɪd, ˈtɪntəd/ [adjective]

glass that is tinted has a slight colour, so that people cannot see through it, so that light does not shine too brightly through it :

▪ The limousine had tinted windows, so we couldn’t see who was inside.

blue-tinted/green-tinted etc

▪ She wore a pair of pink-tinted glasses.

3. brightly coloured

▷ bright /braɪt/ [adjective]

a bright colour is strong and very easy to notice :

▪ The artist clearly loved bright colours.

▪ If you are cycling at night, always wear something bright.

bright blue/red/yellow etc

▪ The front door was painted bright red.

▪ a bright yellow van

brightly [adverb]

▪ a brightly painted boat

▪ brightly coloured balloons

▷ colourful British /colorful American /ˈkʌləʳf ə l/ [adjective]

having a lot of different colours, especially bright colours :

▪ The garden was full of colourful and fascinating flowers.

▪ That’s a really colourful tie you’re wearing.

▪ Stunning tropical fish swim in and out of the colorful rock formations.

▷ brilliant /ˈbrɪljənt/ [adjective usually before noun]

brilliant white/blue/green etc

so bright that it almost hurts your eyes to look at it :

▪ a brilliant blue sky

▪ The room was painted a brilliant white.

▷ multicoloured British /multicolored American /ˈmʌltiˌkʌləʳd/ [adjective usually before noun]

having several different colours, especially bright colours :

▪ A giant multicoloured flag waved in the midday sun.

▪ A group of women sat around talking, their multi-coloured dresses radiant.

▷ gaudy /ˈgɔːdi/ [adjective]

something that is gaudy has too many different colours or is too brightly coloured, with the result that it looks cheap and in bad taste :

▪ I didn’t like the decorations - they looked rather gaudy.

▪ She smelled of cheap perfume and wore gaudy clothing and fake costume jewellery.

▷ garish /ˈge ə rɪʃ/ [adjective]

too brightly coloured in a way that is unpleasant to look at :

▪ Her hair had been dyed a garish shade of red.

▪ The streets are lined with garish neon signs.

▪ The traditional designs have been replaced by much more garish colours.

▷ vibrant /ˈvaɪbrənt/ [adjective]

vibrant colours are very bright and strong - used when you like these colours very much :

▪ the vibrant reds and oranges of the leaves in autumn

▪ The streets of the capital are vibrant with color.

▷ lurid /ˈlʊ ə rɪd, ˈlʊ ə rəd, ˈljʊ ə rə̇d‖ˈlʊ ə rɪd/ [adjective]

lurid colours are too bright and look very unattractive - used when you dislike these colours :

▪ The carpets were a lurid shade of green.

4. light colours

▷ light /laɪt/ [adjective]

light colours are closer to white than to black :

▪ They both have brown hair, but Tina’s is slightly lighter.

light blue/green/orange etc

▪ This is a nice jacket and we also do it in a light green.

▷ pale /peɪl/ [adjective]

very light in colour :

▪ There were dark rings under her eyes and her skin was paler than usual.

pale pink/green/blue etc

▪ Her dress is pale pink, with a small flowery pattern.

▪ The old man’s pale blue eyes moved from the dartboard to the bar and then back again.

▷ fair /feəʳ/ [adjective]

use this about the colour of people’s hair and skin :

▪ Someone with fair skin like you should probably use a stronger sunscreen.

fair-haired/fair-skinned

▪ The Indians were at first frightened of the fair-skinned Europeans.

▷ pastel /ˈpæstlǁpæˈstel/ [adjective only before noun]

pastel colours, especially pink, yellow, green or blue, are soft and light and not at all bright :

▪ Before the baby was born Jenny bought some pretty, pastel baby clothes.

▪ Mrs Singh preferred saris in pastel colours, such as salmon pink.

pastels [plural noun]

pastel colours: :

▪ White, cream, and pastels suit me better than dark colours.

▷ faded /ˈfeɪdɪd, ˈfeɪdəd/ [adjective]

if something is faded, it is a lighter colour than it was originally because of being affected by the sun, washing, or age :

▪ The woman wore a faded blue dress and old brown sandals.

▪ Joe dropped a faded newspaper picture on Woodward’s desk.

5. dark colours

▷ dark /dɑːʳk/ [adjective]

dark colours are closer to black than to white :

▪ She has beautiful dark brown eyes.

▪ If you’re going to have such dark walls I really think you should have a pale carpet.

▪ ‘What do you think of this blouse?’ ‘It’s a bit dark -- navy doesn’t really suit you.’

▷ deep /diːp/ [adjective usually before noun]

deep colours are strong, dark, and attractive :

▪ I’m looking for a deeper shade of purple to paint the bedroom.

deep blue/red/purple etc

▪ She looked into his eyes. They were deep blue.

▪ In the lounge hung long curtains of luxurious deep red velvet.

▷ rich /rɪtʃ/ [adjective]

dark and giving a pleasant feeling of comfort and warmth :

▪ I admired the warm, rich colors of her Persian rugs.

▪ The horse had a rich chestnut coat.

6. having no colour

▷ colourless British /colorless American /ˈkʌləʳləs/ [adjective]

▪ Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas.

▪ He stared out the window at the colorless sky.

7. photograph/film/television

▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [adjective]

showing pictures in all colours, not just in black, white, and grey :

▪ You need a colour television to fully appreciate nature programmes.

▪ Does your new computer have a colour monitor?

▪ The outstanding feature of this book is its 45 full-page color photographs.

in colour

showing all the colours

▪ All the pictures are in color.

▷ black and white /ˌblæk ən ˈwaɪt/ []

black and white television/photograph/film etc

one that has a black, white, and grey picture, not colours such as blue, red and yellow :

▪ Black and white TV sets are now very cheap to buy.

▪ I love the old black-and-white movies.

▪ an exhibition of black and white photos

in black and white

showing only black, white, and grey

▪ ‘Is the film ‘Casablanca’ in colour?’ ‘No, it’s in black and white.’

▷ monochrome /ˈmɒnəkrəʊmǁˈmɑː-/ [adjective] technical

monochrome pictures have no colour, and use only black, white, and shades of grey :

▪ There were some beautiful monochrome pictures of Yosemite.

in monochrome

▪ McCullin still prefers to shoot in monochrome.

8. to change the colour of something

▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [transitive verb]

to put colour into something :

▪ Last time I tried to colour my hair it turned red!

▪ Marigold petals were once used for colouring butter and cheese.

colour/color something in

colour inside the lines of a picture

▪ Josie sat at the table coloring in her picture while her father made the dinner.

▷ dye /daɪ/ [transitive verb]

to change the colour of material or hair by using a special coloured liquid :

▪ I’m bored with this skirt. I’m going to dye it.

▪ Wool and silk are the materials that are easiest to dye.

dye something blue/yellow/red etc

▪ She’s dyed her hair red -- it looks so unnatural.

dyed [adjective]

▪ The boy wore a headdress of dyed ostrich feathers.

▷ bleach /bliːtʃ/ [transitive verb]

to use chemicals to make the colour of material or hair lighter :

▪ To play the part, Kensit had to bleach her hair and gain 20 pounds.

▪ I’m going to bleach these curtains and see if I can get the stains out.

bleached [adjective]

▪ The beach was full of bleached blondes.

9. to lose colour

▷ fade /feɪd/ [intransitive verb]

if a colour or coloured material fades, its colour becomes paler, for example because it has been in sunlight for a long time :

▪ Over the years the green paint had faded.

▪ Your natural hair colour begins to fade as you grow older, and eventually you go grey.

faded [adjective]

▪ The curtains that were at one time bright and cheerful were now faded and torn.

▷ lose its colour British /lose its color American /ˌluːz ɪts ˈkʌləʳ/ [verb phrase]

if a material or object loses its colour, the colour comes out of it, especially because of the effects of washing or sunlight :

▪ Will this shirt lose its colour if you wash it?

▪ Red onions lose their color when cooked.

▷ run /rʌn/ [intransitive verb]

if the colours run on a piece of clothing when you wash it, some of the colour goes from one part of it and onto another part of it because the water is too hot :

▪ It is usually advisable to wash new clothes separately as they tend to run.

Longman Activator English vocab.      Английский словарь Longman активатор .