rouge

noun \ ˈrüzh , especially Southern ˈrüj \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

1 : any of various cosmetics for coloring the cheeks or lips red

2 : a red powder consisting essentially of ferric oxide used in polishing glass, metal, or gems and as a pigment

See rouge defined for English-language learners

See rouge defined for kids

Examples of rouge in a Sentence

She was wearing too much rouge.

Recent Examples of rouge from the Web

One weekend in February, when the Canadiens were in town, the Strip was awash in bleu-blanc-et-rouge for three days.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "Win City: The Playoff-Bound Golden Knights Have Helped Humanize—and Heal—Las Vegas," 4 Apr. 2018
Roberts was criticized for ads that depicted Trantalis as a puppet with lipstick and rouge, but Roberts said it wasn’t intended as gay mockery.

— brittany wallman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dean Trantalis is Fort Lauderdale's new mayor," 13 Mar. 2018
Rather than traditional swipes of rouge, the week’s most powerful pouts came painted in a barrage of variants, each exuding an individual air.

— calin van paris, Vogue, "7 Bold Beauty Lessons to Take From New York Fashion Week," 15 Feb. 2018
Rubinstein’s dark hair is pulled back tight, her cheeks flushed with rouge and her lips painted red to match her brocade Balenciaga gown.

— elizabeth holmes, Town & Country, "Does the Painted Portrait Stand a Chance In the Age of Social Media?," 19 Jan. 2018
Next was a silken crab soup with bits of truffles, then a mixed grill of scallops, swordfish and striped sea bass arranged on the plate with leeks, beurre rouge and pommes Anna.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "Women chefs star at the 4-star Chez Panisse," 1 Feb. 2018
Ross's fresh face was freckled and glowing and her lips were vibrant in a matte rouge.

— kate branch, Vogue, "Watch Tracee Ellis Ross Get Ready for the 2018 Golden Globes, From Her Warpaint Red Lips to Her Bold Turban," 8 Jan. 2018
The talented young husband-wife team of Guillaume Bott and Tomoko Kuriyama created this ripe, juicy and irresistibly drinkable Bourgogne rouge from a few different vineyard sources in the Côte de Beaune. 4.

— lettie teague, WSJ, "Beat the Burgundy Bubble: 11 Still-Affordable Wines," 7 Dec. 2017
North Korea and the Trump administration have exchanged a barrage of verbal volleys for months, ratcheting up the tension on the Korean peninsula and around the world as the rouge regime in Pyongyang openly threatens the United States.

— dan merica, CNN, "White House chief of staff: Americans should be concerned about North Korea," 12 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of rouge

French, from Middle French, from rouge red, from Latin rubeus reddish — more at ruby

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1746

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Fashion Terms

bodkin, chignon, cowlick, eau de toilette, imperial, pocket, pomander, tonsorial

rouge

verb

rouged; rouging

transitive verb

1 : to apply rouge to

2 : to cause to redden

intransitive verb

: to use rouge

Recent Examples of rouge from the Web

Sharing the catwalk with fellow gender-benders Jazelle and Munroe Bergdorf, Desmond wore his slicked gray hair and rouged cheeks with natural swagger.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "8 Beauty Moments That Ruled the New York Runway This Weekend," 12 Feb. 2018
From left: Prada’s Fair-Isle layered combo; an appealingly modest iteration at The Row; full-onmid-90s nostalgia at Versace; an ankle-grazing ensemble at Max Mara; Dior’s rouge 1960s revival.

— rebecca malinsky and rory satran, WSJ, "A Complete Guide to Fall’s Best Women’s Fashion Trends," 9 Mar. 2018
A normally modest Lisa Gherardini appears for her sitting heavily rouged, her hair in a snood, her lavish jewelry and ornamental scarves someone else’s idea.

— christine dolen, miamiherald, "Intriguing stories swirl in new play about the iconic Mona Lisa," 17 July 2017
This is even better in a version rouged by chile oil and hiding traces of Sichuan peppercorn, their presence betrayed by a gradual blurring of the lips.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "For This Soup, Some Assembly Is Required (and Provided)," 2 June 2017

First Known Use of rouge

1752

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Fashion Terms

bodkin, chignon, cowlick, eau de toilette, imperial, pocket, pomander, tonsorial

ROUGE Defined for English Language Learners

rouge

noun

: a red powder or cream that is used to make your cheeks pinker

ROUGE Defined for Kids

rouge

noun \ ˈrüzh \

: a cosmetic used to give a red color to cheeks or lips

Learn More about rouge

See words that rhyme with rouge Spanish Central: Translation of rouge Nglish: Translation of rouge for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rouge for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rouge

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rouge

Examples of rouge in a Sentence

Recent Examples of rouge from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rouge

Other Fashion Terms

rouge

Recent Examples of rouge from the Web

First Known Use of rouge

Other Fashion Terms

ROUGE Defined for English Language Learners

rouge

ROUGE Defined for Kids

rouge

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Origin and Etymology of rouge

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Recent Examples of rouge from the Web

First Known Use of rouge

Other Fashion Terms

ROUGE Defined for English Language Learners

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