dye

American  

[dahy] / daɪ /

noun

1. a coloring material or matter.

2. a liquid containing coloring matter, for imparting a particular hue to cloth, paper, etc.

3. color or hue, especially as produced by dyeing.

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verb (used with object)

dyed, dyeing

1. to color or stain; treat with a dye; color (cloth, hair, etc.) with a substance containing coloring matter.

   to dye a dress green.

2. to impart (color) by means of a dye.

   The coloring matter dyed green.

verb (used without object)

dyed, dyeing

1. to impart color, as a dye.

   This brand dyes well.

2. to become colored or absorb color when treated with a dye.

   This cloth dyes easily.

idioms

1. of the deepest / blackest dye, of the most extreme or the worst sort.

   a prevaricator of the blackest dye.

dye British  

/ daɪ /

noun

1. a staining or colouring substance, such as a natural or synthetic pigment

2. a liquid that contains a colouring material and can be used to stain fabrics, skins, etc

3. the colour or shade produced by dyeing

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verb

1. (tr) to impart a colour or stain to (something, such as fabric or hair) by or as if by the application of a dye

Other Word Forms

• dyable adjective
• dyeable adjective
• dyer noun
• redye verb (used with object)
• undyable adjective
• undyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of dye

before 1000; Middle English dien, Old English dēagian, derivative of dēag a dye

Explanation

Dye is a substance that's used to change the color of whatever it's applied to. You can use hair dye to change your light brown hair to deep, dark purple. Dye is used on fabrics, hair, yarn and other fibers, clothing, and food, among other things. When you apply dye to something, you dye it. If you're baking a birthday cake for your friend who loves the color orange, you might use food coloring — a type of dye — to dye the vanilla frosting orange. The Old English root of dye is deah, "a color or hue," which is possibly related to deagol, "secret, hidden, or dark."

Example Sentences

Also known as erythrosine, the synthetic, petroleum-based dye gives certain foods, like candies and frozen desserts, a bright, cherry-red hue.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

The water-soluble, FDA-approved dye used by UltraGreen.ai for fluorescence imaging is considered a generic drug and falls under the current exemption, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

When her father, René, learns she has developed a vibrant blue dye, he tries to steal it — and is then imprisoned for treason by the dyers’ guild.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Please don't dye your hair when you're 15… you look ridiculous.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

He showed us batik, letting us paint wax patterns on cloth and T-shirts and spill dye everywhere.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Related Words

• pigment
• stain
• tint