dye

noun

\ ˈdī

Definition of dye

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : color from dyeing

2 : a soluble or insoluble coloring matter

dye

verb

dyed; dyeing

Definition of dye (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from dye Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about dye

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Other Words from dye

Verb

dyeability \ ˌdī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

dyeable \ ˈdī-ə-bəl

\ adjective

dyer \ ˈdī(-ə)r

\ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for dye

Synonyms: Noun

color, colorant, coloring, dyestuff, pigment, stain

Synonyms: Verb

bepaint [archaic], color, paint, pigment, stain, tincture, tinge, tint

Antonyms: Verb

decolorize

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

Following in the brightly colored footsteps of the Unicorn Frappuccino, which became a viral sensation, expect to see photos of the tie-dye Frappuccino flooding Instagram in the next few days. — Allen Kim, CNN, "What does tie-dye taste like? Find out with Starbucks' new Frappuccino," 10 July 2019 Let your freak flag fly — or at least wear some vintage tie-dye — during the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock at the Bethel Center for the Performing Arts (Aug. 15-18) in upstate New York. — Necee Regis, BostonGlobe.com, "Here, there, and everywhere," 9 July 2019 Asai Ta's tie dye long sleeve mesh tops are literally everywhere. — Michelle Li, Teen Vogue, "5 Asian Designers We Think Could Replace Kenzo’s Creative Director Duo," 14 June 2019 No one is sure how brightly red the river will turn or whether the dye will be noticeable as the water reaches the Delaware Bay, which officials say is the point of the effort. — USA TODAY, "Pride pickup, sphinx on move, Tony Stark’s cabin: News from around our 50 states," 13 June 2019 At first, the dyes were muted and reflected the colors of the sun, including yellow, orange and red. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, "The History of Easter Eggs and Why They're Decorated," 25 Feb. 2019 However, thanks to innovative formulas from Pulp Riot, Arctic Fox, and Trillion Tones, green dye is more likely to fade to a lighter variation of the original shade than an indistinguishable, muddy hue. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "How to Achieve the Bold Green Hair-Color Trend Like a Celebrity," 29 Aug. 2018 The kids have a point: tie-dye is a quintessential summer fabric beloved by surfers, camp counselors, and hippie Grateful Dead fans alike. — Diana Tsui, The Cut, "A Sophisticated Tie-Dye Dress You Can Wear to Work," 23 May 2018 Graphene's possible health and environmental risks are still being studied, but the dye is nonabrasive, and the flakes are too large to enter human pores, Huang notes. — Prachi Patel, Scientific American, "The Quirkier Uses of Graphene," 16 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Jade comes in three categories — A is completely natural material, B has been chemically bleached and injected with resin and C has been dyed. — Elizabeth Chang, Washington Post, "The best souvenirs to bring home from 10 countries," 2 July 2019 Her hair, of course, was swept up into Cinderella's iconic chignon and was dyed a bright blonde to mimic the character's. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Zendaya Is Literally — Literally — Cinderella at the 2019 Met Gala," 7 May 2019 To get a sense of his result, imagine sheep in a field, except these are punk-rock sheep: Their wool has been dyed one of several colors. — Quanta Magazine, "Foundations Built for a General Theory of Neural Networks," 31 Jan. 2019 As pointed out by Buzzfeed, the Euphoria actor's decision to dye her hair red looks to be inspired by Mary Jane Watson (MJ), the love interest of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Zendaya Debuted Red Hair at a “Spider-Man: Far from Home” Press Event," 18 June 2019 It has been accepted as fact that recalcitrant patches of grass are painted green and that the ponds used to be dyed blue. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 Adding an extra element of challenge, some of the roses will also need to be specially dyed, or even painted, to accommodate the theme, Àvila says. — Vogue, "How World Pride Inspired the Design of the 2019 Tony Awards Red Carpet," 9 June 2019 Matthew Green, a cryptography professor at Johns Hopkins, tweeted on Monday that his son wanted to dye his hair blue – but only if dad did it too. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Dad dyes hair blue to support son and ends up raising $12,500 for immigrant charity," 26 June 2019 Wine lovers can drink canned rosé, swipe on rosé lip gloss, and dye their hair rose gold. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Physicians Formula Just Added Gorgeous Rose-Shaped Highlighters to Its Rosé Collection [Update]," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dye.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.