Colour Extra Examples Dark Room People Cheeks Face

• what's your favourite colour?
• bright/vibrant/bold colours
• she always wears dark colours.
• i'd like to paint this room in a lighter colour.

colour

1. the appearance that things have that results from the way in which they reflect light. Red, orange and green are colours.
• SEE ALSO complementary colour
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/complementary-colour
• What's your favourite colour?
• bright/vibrant/bold colours
• She always wears dark colours.
• I'd like to paint this room in a lighter colour.
• a warm colour palette (= the range of colours used for something)
• available in 12 different colours
• the colour of the sky
• skin/hair colour
• red/green/blue, etc. in colour
• Her hair is a reddish-brown colour.
• The stage lights changed colour from red to blue.
• Foods which go through a factory process lose much of their colour, flavour and texture.

Extra Examples

• Dark colours suit you best.
• Green is a good colour on you.
• I like to wear bright colours.
• Simple patterns and solid colours are particularly effective.
• The chameleon changes colour to match its surroundings.
• The curtains went a strange orange colour when we washed them.
• The flowers are pale blue in colour.
• The garden is a riot of colour in spring.
• The leaf colour ranges from dark green to almost brown.
• The scarf is available in six different colours.
• What is her natural hair colour?
• Your shirt matches the colour of your eyes.
• cool colours like blue and gray
• the intense colour of new leaves
• The garden was a mass of colour.
2. the use of all the colours, not only black and white
• SEE ALSO full-colour
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/full-colour
• the introduction of colour television in the UK in 1967
• colour photographs
• a colour printer
• a full-colour brochure
• Do you dream in colour?

Extra Examples

• a colour TV in every room
• a 48-page reference section in full colour
• a 24-page full-colour booklet
• The book is lavishly illustrated in full colour.
• Is the film in colour or black and white?
• colour photography/printing
3. the colour of a person’s skin, when it shows the race they belong to
• Discrimination on the grounds of race, religion or colour was outlawed.
• a person/man/woman of colour (= who is not white)
• people of all ages, genders, creeds and colours

Extra Examples

• to discriminate on the basis of colour
• people of colour
4. a red or pink colour in somebody’s face, especially when it shows that they look healthy or that they are embarrassed
• The fresh air brought colour to their cheeks.
• Colour flooded her face when she thought of what had happened.
• His face was drained of colour (= he looked pale and ill).

Extra Examples

• Gradually the colour returned to his cheeks.
• His face drained of all colour.
• I could feel the colour rush to my cheeks.
• The colour drained from her face when she saw him.
• The colour rose in his face.
• The walk brought colour to her face.
• You could tell she was excited by the heightened colour in her cheeks.
• You have a bit more colour in your cheeks now.
5. a substance that is used to give colour to something
• SEE ALSO oil colour
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/oil-paint#oil_paint_vg_1
• a semi-permanent hair colour that lasts six to eight washes
• This colour runs, so wash the shirt separately.
6. interesting and exciting details or qualities
• SEE ALSO local colour
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/local-colour
• The old town is full of colour and attractions.
• Her acting added warmth and colour to the production.
• to add/give/lend colour to something (= make it brighter, more interesting, etc.)

Extra Examples

• These flowers certainly give the room a bit of colour.
• His asides lent colour to the story.
• The silk cushions add colour to an otherwise dull room.
7. the particular colours that are used on clothes, flags, etc. to represent a team, school, political party or country
• Red and white are the team colours.
• Spain’s national colours
• There are people of different political colours on the committee.
8. a flag, badge, etc. that represents a team, country, ship, etc.
• Most buildings had a flagpole with the national colours flying.
• sailing under the French colours
9. to make something seem true or likely
• Most of the available evidence lends colour to this view.
10. to say publicly and clearly what you believe or who you support
11. to make sure that somebody has enough money to pay for something
• You need to see the colour of his money before you sell him the car.
12. your real character, rather than the one that you usually allow other people to see
• It was only after they got married that he showed himself in his true colours.
13. very well; with a very high mark
• She passed the exam with flying colours.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French colour (noun), colourer (verb), from Latin color (noun), colorare (verb).