rose

1 of 4

past tense of rise

rose

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈrōz 

plural roses

1

a

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of erect, climbing, or trailing shrubs native to temperate and subtropical regions of the northern hemisphere that have showy flowers which are usually red, white, pink, or yellow in color and which have five petals in the wild state but typically 20 to 40 under cultivation, that have prickles on the branches and stems, and that have finely serrated oval leaflets

b

: the flower of a rose

2

: something resembling a rose in form: such as

a(1)

: compass card

(2)

: a circular card with radiating lines used in other instruments

b

: a rosette (see rosette sense 1) especially on an article of clothing, a shoe, etc.

c

: rose cut

3

roses plural : an easy or pleasant situation or task

it was not all sunshine and roses

—Anthony Lewis

4

: a moderate purplish red

5

: a plane curve which consists of three or more loops meeting at the origin and whose equation in polar coordinates is of the form ρ = a sin nθ or ρ = a cos nθ where n is an integer greater than zero

roselike

ˈrōz-ˌlīk 

adjective

rose

3 of 4

adjective

1

a

: containing or used for roses

b

: of or relating to a rose

c

: flavored, scented, or colored with or like roses

2

: of the color rose

rosé

4 of 4

noun (2)

ro·​sé rō-ˈzā 

: a light pink table wine made from red grapes by removing the skins after fermentation has begun

Phrases

under the rose

: sub rosa

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• breeze
• cake
• cakewalk
• child's play
• cinch
• cream puff
• duck soup
• kid stuff
• picnic
• pushover
• snap

Examples of rose in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He sent a dozen red roses to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Now, they are referred to as 'old roses' or 'heritage roses'. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 May 2025

The colors of the Vatican are white and yellow, so Izquierdo had placed white and yellow roses on every table. —Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 22 May 2025

Adjective

The garden also showcases sculptures by Pat Austen and celebrates the legacy of rose cultivation. —Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

Too much can block water and tie up nitrogen, harming rose growth. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, in part going back to Old English rōse, borrowed from Latin rosa "rose, rosebush"; in part borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin rosa, perhaps borrowed from an unattested derivative of Greek rhódon "rose" — more at rhodo-

Note: Latin rosa is similar enough to Greek rhódon that a relationship seems likely, but its nature is unclear. An outcome of rhodéā "rosebush" with a sibilant transmitted to Latin through Etruscan might explain the failure of -s- to rhotacize (unless rhotacism was nullified by the dissimilatory effect of the initial r). Both the Greek and Latin words have been attributed to a Mediterranean substratum, but this does not jibe with the presumed Iranian origin of rhódon.

Adjective

from attributive use of rose entry 2

Noun (2)

borrowed from French (short for vin rosé), from rosé "tinted with rose color, reddish, pink," from rose rose entry 2 + -é -ate entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Adjective

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

Noun (2)

1865, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rose

• cabbage rose
• Cherokee rose
• China rose
• Christmas rose
• come out/up smelling like a rose
• compass rose
• damask rose
• dog rose
• famille rose
• guelder rose
• hybrid tea rose
• moss rose
• multiflora rose
• musk rose
• old rose
• rose-breasted grosbeak
• rose chafer
• rose-colored
• rose-colored glasses
• rose cut
• rose fever
• rose geranium
• rose hip
• rose mallow
• rose of Jericho
• rose of Sharon
• rose oil
• rose pink
• rose slug
• rose-tinted
• rose water
• rose window
• rugosa rose
• tea rose
• wind rose

Rhymes for rose

• blows
• brose
• chose
• cloze
• cose
• crows
• doughs
• doze
• floes
• flows
• foes
• froze

Kids Definition

rose

1 of 3

past of rise

rose

2 of 3 noun

ˈrōz 

1

a

: any of a genus of usually prickly sometimes climbing shrubs that have compound leaves and showy often fragrant white, yellow, red, pink, or orange flowers

b

: the flower of a rose

2

: a medium purplish red

roselike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

rose

3 of 3 adjective

1

: of, relating to, resembling, or used for the rose or roses

2

: of the color rose

Medical Definition

rose

noun

ˈrōz 

1

a

: any of a genus (Rosa of the family Rosaceae, the rose family) of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers of which some are sources of rose oil

b

: the flower of a rose

2

: erysipelas

Biographical Definition

Rose

biographical name

ˈrōz 

Irwin A. 1926–2015 American biologist