dye

1 of 2

noun

1
: color from dyeing
2
: a soluble or insoluble coloring matter

dye

2 of 2

verb

dyed; dyeing

transitive verb

1
: to impart a new and often permanent color to especially by impregnating with a dye
2
: to impart (a color) by dyeing

intransitive verb

: to take up or impart color in dyeing
dyeability noun
dyeable adjective
dyer noun

Examples of dye in a Sentence

Noun soaked the fabric in blue dye Verb She had been dyeing her hair for years. The fabric is bleached, dyed, and then washed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The canal will be brightest when the dyes are first introduced and will wear off within a couple of days. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 Along the way, he was maligned in a film, attacked with green dye and subjected to a multitude of criminal cases, all while being demonized as Western puppet. Oleg Matsnev, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 To transform the industry through technology, Gheorghe decided to reverse engineer a shirt—decisions made on color and cut, where were the dyes sourced, how were the buttons made— until every aspect of the shirt and its design, manufacturing and distribution process was mapped out. Bruce Rogers, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 And while some people think that hair color or dye treatments can keep lice at bay, Ritchie says this isn't so. USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 Use pastel food dye to dress the chocolate treats up for Easter. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2024 In a SheKnows interview published Wednesday, the Maid actress, 65, opened up about ditching brown hair dye and embracing her iconic, silver curls. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 7 Feb. 2024 Green dye was thrown in his face after a rally, nearly blinding him in one eye; he was banned from running for president in 2018; his brother was imprisoned as a hostage; and he was repeatedly jailed. Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 And in moment of encouragement for every woman committed to the awkward transition away from dye: One gorgeous model's glossy waves showcased gray roots overtaking the blonde highlights that lingered from midshaft-down. Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
For her wedding in May 2023, Ashley Oliver Thomas paid $150 for the bra cups of her ceremony gown to be dyed to match her skin color. Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Brett trained his lens on a number of creatives: Danylo and Denys (both 20), a gay couple with their hair dyed the Ukrainian national colors of yellow and blue; Oksana Rubanyak aka Xena, a 21-year-old writer, who published two books of poetry and now serves as a military commander. Venya Brykalin, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024 A lot of the young men emulated boy-band stars, with long hair often dyed gray, blue, or purple. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 has been dyeing the Chicago River green for almost 69 years. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Hair Color Safety Tips The safest way to dye gray pubic hair is by visiting a hair salon that offers this type of service. Tracee Cornforth, Verywell Health, 1 Mar. 2024 Chris LaPorta also dyed her hair blue for the game. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 30 Jan. 2024 Whatever the origin of the story, these days to mark the occasion, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, the shell symbolizes the tomb, and the eggs are cracked to show his resurrection from the dead. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2024 Gleaming in the windows of high-end fashion boutiques were python-skin footwear and clothes, often dyed traffic-light green, neon yellow, or electric blue, from Yves Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, and Chanel. Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dye.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dehe, from Old English dēah, dēag

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dye was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dye

Cite this Entry

“Dye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dye. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dye

1 of 2 noun
1
: color produced by dyeing
2
: a material used for dyeing or staining

dye

2 of 2 verb
dyed; dyeing
: to stain or color usually permanently
dyer noun

Medical Definition

dye

1 of 2 noun
1
: color from dyeing
2
: a soluble or insoluble coloring matter

dye

2 of 2 verb
dyed; dyeing

transitive verb

1
: to impart a new and often permanent color to especially by impregnating with a dye
2
: to impart (a color) by dyeing
dyeing blue on yellow

intransitive verb

: to take up or impart color in dyeing

More from Merriam-Webster on dye

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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