coloring

noun

col·​or·​ing ˈkə-lə-riŋ 

1

a

: the act of applying colors

b

: something that produces color or color effects

c(1)

: the effect produced by applying or combining colors

(2)

: natural color

(3)

: complexion, coloration

d

: change of appearance (as by adding color)

2

: influence, bias

3

: color sense 8

4

: timbre, quality

Synonyms of coloring

• pigment
• dye
• color
• colorant
• stain

Examples of coloring in a Sentence

Her favorite activities include playing with stuffed animals and coloring.

Our product contains no artificial coloring or flavoring.

She added some blue food coloring to the icing.

This scarf will look great with your coloring.

He has very light coloring.

Recent Examples on the Web

Red jalapeños can be used in any recipe where green jalapeños are normally used, and their bright red coloring can add extra pizzazz to recipes. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026

Last year, Makary appeared at a news conference announcing the HHS and FDA would be implementing a series of measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes and colorings from America's food supply by the end of 2026. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 12 May 2026

Add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and food coloring, if using. —Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 11 May 2026

Most complexity theorists study how hard problems like three-coloring are (in this case, how many steps are needed to find a valid coloring). —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing coloring

• coloring book

Kids Definition

coloring

noun

col·​or·​ing ˈkəl-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: the act of applying colors

2

: something that produces color

food coloring

3

: the effect produced by applying or combining colors

4

: complexion sense 1, coloration

5

: change of appearance (as by adding color)