I. col·our 1 S1 W1 BrE AmE British English , color American English /ˈkʌlə $ -ər/ noun
[ Word Family: noun : COLOUR/COLOR , COLOURING/COLORING , ↑ coloration , COLOURANT/COLORANT , COLOURIST/COLORIST ; adjective : COLOURED/COLORED , discoloured/discolored, COLOURFUL/COLORFUL ≠ COLOURLESS/COLORLESS , ↑ multicoloured , COLOUR/COLOR ; verb : COLOUR/COLOR ; adverb : COLOURFULLY/COLORFULLY ≠ COLOURLESSLY/COLORLESSLY ]
1 . RED/BLUE/GREEN ETC [countable] red, blue, yellow, green, brown, purple etc:
What colour dress did you buy?
What colour are his eyes?
The pens come in a wide range of colours.
light/bright/pastel etc colour
I love wearing bright colours.
reddish-brown/yellowy-green/deep blue etc colour
The walls were a lovely reddish-brown color.
2 . COLOUR IN GENERAL [uncountable] ( also colours ) the appearance of something as a result of the way it ↑ reflect s (=throws back) light, especially when its appearance is very bright or is made up of a lot of different colours:
Bright bold accessories are the quickest way to add colour to a room.
in colour
The wine was almost pink in colour (=was almost pink) .
blaze/riot/mass of colour (=lots of different bright colours)
In summer the gardens are a blaze of colour.
a splash of colour (=a small area of a bright colour)
The sky began to slowly change colour.
the fall colors (=the colours of the trees in autumn)
3 . SB’S RACE [uncountable and countable] how dark or light someone’s skin is, which shows which race they belong to:
Everyone has a right to a job, regardless of their race, sex, or colour.
people of all colors
the continuing battle against colour prejudice
⇨ ↑ coloured 2
4 . people/women/students etc of color especially American English people, women etc who are not white:
I’m the only person of color in my class.
5 . SUBSTANCE [uncountable and countable] a substance such as paint or ↑ dye that makes something red, blue, yellow etc:
Wash the garment separately, as the colour may run (=come out when washed) .
jams that contain no artificial colours or preservatives
lip/nail/eye colour
our new range of eyeshadows and lip colours
6 . in (full) colour a television programme, film, or photograph that is in colour contains colours such as red, green, and blue rather than just black and white OPP in black and white :
All the recipes in the book are illustrated in full colour.
7 . SB’S FACE [uncountable] if you have some colour in your face, your face is pink or red, usually because you are healthy or embarrassed:
You look a lot better today. At least you’ve got a bit of colour now.
One of the girls giggled nervously as colour flooded her cheeks (=her cheeks suddenly went very pink or red) .
He stared at her, the colour draining from his face.
8 . SOMETHING INTERESTING [uncountable] interesting and exciting details or qualities that someone or something has:
The old market is lively, full of colour and activity.
a travel writer in search of local colour
add/give colour to something (=make something more interesting)
Intelligent use of metaphors can add colour to your writing.
9 . lend/give colour to something to make something, especially something unusual, appear likely or true:
We have new evidence that lends colour to the accusation of fraud.
10 . off colour
a) [not before noun] British English someone who is off colour is feeling slightly ill
b) [usually before noun] especially American English off-colour jokes, stories etc are rude and often about sex
11 . colours [plural]
a) the colours that are used to represent a team, school, club, country etc
club/team/school colours
a cap in the team colours
Australia’s national colours are gold and green.
b) British English a flag, shirt etc that shows that someone or something belongs to or supports a particular team, school, club, or country
12 . see the colour of sb’s money spoken to have definite proof that someone has enough money to pay for something:
‘A whiskey, please.’ ‘Let’s see the color of your money first.’
⇨ with flying colours at ↑ flying 1 (2), ⇨ nail your colours to the mast at ↑ nail 2 (5), ⇨ your true colours at ↑ true 1 (13)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a red/green/blue etc colour
Our door was painted a bright green colour.
▪ a reddish/greenish/bluish etc colour (=slightly red, green, blue etc)
The glass used for bottles is often a greenish colour.
▪ a bluey/yellowy/browny colour (=a shade of blue, yellow etc)
I like bluey colours best.
▪ a bright/strong colour (=strong and noticeable)
Bright colours look good in strong sunlight.
▪ a bold/vivid/vibrant colour (=bright in a way that is exciting)
His paintings are known for their use of bold colours.
▪ a rich colour (=strong and beautiful or expensive-looking)
I love the rich colours in oriental rugs.
▪ a dark colour (=more like black than white)
People tend to wear dark colours to work.
▪ a deep colour (=dark and attractive)
▪ a neutral colour (=one that matches other colours easily, for example white or cream)
▪ a light/pale colour (=not dark or strong)
Light colours make a room look larger.
▪ a pastel colour (=pale blue, pink, yellow or green)
▪ a warm colour (=pleasant and containing some red, yellow, or orange)
The old farmhouse is beautifully decorated with warm colours.
▪ a soft colour (=pleasant and not very strong)
▪ a subtle colour (=pleasant, not strong, and a little unusual)
Italian sweaters come in lovely subtle colours.
▪ a loud colour (=very bright in a way that looks unpleasant or funny)
▪ a gaudy/garish colour (=loud and usually showing bad taste)
▪ contrasting colours (=ones that are different from each other in a way that looks attractive)
You need to have one or two contrasting colours in the room.
▪ complementary colours (=ones that look nice together)
Plant the flowers in patches in complementary colours.
▪ a matching colour (=one that is the same as something else)
I bought some gloves and a scarf in a matching colour.
▪ a primary colour (=red, yellow, or blue)
Why are children’s toys always in primary colours?
■ verbs
▪ a colour matches something (=it is the same colour)
The colour in this tin of paint doesn’t match the walls.
▪ a colours clashes (with something) (=is different from something in a way that is unattractive)
Do you think the colour of this tie clashes with my shirt?
▪ a colour fades (=loses colour and brightness)
The colour of the curtains had faded in the sun.
■ colour + NOUN
▪ a colour scheme (=the colours that you use in a room, painting etc)
Have you decided on a colour scheme?
▪ a colour combination/combination of colours (=the colours that exist or that you put together)
In autumn the leaves create lovely colour combinations.
▪ a colour range/range of colours (=a number of colours that you can choose from)
There’s a wide colour range to choose from.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ colour red, blue, yellow etc:
Blue is my favourite colour.
|
Matisse was famous for his use of colour.
▪ shade a particular type of a colour:
The dress is a light shade of pink.
|
He uses different shades of green.
▪ hue /hjuː/ literary or technical a particular colour or shade of a colour:
Her face had lost its golden hue.
▪ tint a small amount of a colour in something that is mostly another colour:
He wears sunglasses that have a pinky-orange tint.
▪ tone one of the many different shades of a colour, each slightly darker, lighter, brighter etc than the next:
Carpets in neutral tones give a feeling of space.
■ dark colours
▪ dark used about a colour that is strong and fairly close to black:
a dark blue suit
|
His eyes are dark brown.
▪ deep fairly dark – often used when you think this colour looks attractive:
His eyes were a beautiful deep blue.
|
deep red lips
▪ rich used about a colour that is fairly dark in a way that gives a pleasant feeling of warmth:
The walls were painted a rich red colour.
■ light colours
▪ light used about a colour that is not dark:
a light blue sweater
|
His T-shirt was light green.
▪ pale used about a colour that is very light:
He has very pale blue eyes.
▪ soft used about a colour that is light in a way that is attractive because it is not too obvious:
She wears soft colours such as cream, which match her complexion.
▪ pastel used about a colour that has a lot of white in it:
The girls wore pastel pink sundresses.
■ bright colours
▪ bright used about a colour that is strong and easy to see:
The front door was painted bright red.
▪ brilliant/vivid used about a colour that is very bright:
I looked out at the brilliant blue sky.
|
vivid red flowers
▪ colourful British English , colorful American English used about things that have many different bright colours:
There were window boxes full of colourful flowers.
▪ multicoloured British English , multicolored American English used about things that have a pattern of many different bright colours:
A multicoloured flag waved in the midday sun.
▪ gaudy/garish too brightly coloured, in a way that is unattractive:
The wallpaper was much too gaudy for me.
|
a garish orange tie
II. colour 2 BrE AmE British English , color American English verb
[ Word Family: noun : COLOUR/COLOR , COLOURING/COLORING , ↑ coloration , COLOURANT/COLORANT , COLOURIST/COLORIST ; adjective : COLOURED/COLORED , discoloured/discolored, COLOURFUL/COLORFUL ≠ COLOURLESS/COLORLESS , ↑ multicoloured , COLOUR/COLOR ; verb : COLOUR/COLOR ; adverb : COLOURFULLY/COLORFULLY ≠ COLOURLESSLY/COLORLESSLY ]
1 . [transitive] to change the colour of something, especially by using ↑ dye :
If I didn’t colour my hair I’d be totally grey.
Colour the icing with a little green food colouring.
colour something red/blue etc
Sunset came and coloured the sky a brilliant red.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] ( also colour in ) to use coloured pencils to put colours inside the lines of a picture:
On the back page is a picture for your child to colour in.
She has no idea how to colour a picture – she just scribbles all over it.
3 . [intransitive] literary when someone colours, their face becomes redder because they are embarrassed SYN blush :
Her eyes suddenly met his and she coloured slightly.
4 . colour sb’s judgement/opinions/attitudes etc to influence the way someone thinks about something, especially so that they become less fair or reasonable:
In my position, I can’t afford to let my judgement be coloured by personal feelings.
III. colour 3 BrE AmE British English , color American English adjective
[ Word Family: noun : COLOUR/COLOR , COLOURING/COLORING , ↑ coloration , COLOURANT/COLORANT , COLOURIST/COLORIST ; adjective : COLOURED/COLORED , discoloured/discolored, COLOURFUL/COLORFUL ≠ COLOURLESS/COLORLESS , ↑ multicoloured , COLOUR/COLOR ; verb : COLOUR/COLOR ; adverb : COLOURFULLY/COLORFULLY ≠ COLOURLESSLY/COLORLESSLY ]
colour television/photograph/printer etc a colour television, photograph etc produces or shows pictures in colour rather than in black, white, and grey ⇨ black and white :
a large color TV
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