coloring

1 of 2

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

coloring

2 of 2

present participle of color entry 2

Synonyms of coloring

Noun

• pigment
• dye
• color
• colorant
• stain

Examples of coloring in a Sentence

Noun

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

Noun

Khot was interested in cases where the best possible coloring satisfies most but not all of the constraints — say, 99% of them. — Quanta Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

View this post on Instagram At the same time, Billie Eilish unveiled a hue change of her own, sharing a mirror selfie of her with caramel-ginger coloring on Instagram. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Penn State Extension explains that factors including age and growing conditions influence the caterpillar’s coloring. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2026

That includes how to properly declare coloring ingredients on a food item’s label. — Don Sweeney, Idaho Statesman, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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)