- colour
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} (BrE) (AmE color) noun1 quality that makes sth red, etc.ADJECTIVE▪ bold, bright, brilliant, glowing, iridescent, vibrant, vivid▪ dark, deep▪
Dark colours suit you best.
▪ intense, lush (esp. AmE), rich, saturated, strong▪the intense colour of new leaves
▪ faded, light, muted, pale, pastel, soft, subdued, subtle▪ dull▪ garish, gaudy, loud, lurid▪ autumn (esp. BrE), autumnal, earthy, fall (AmE), warm▪ cool▪cool colours like blue and gray
▪ sombre/somber▪ attractive, beautiful, lovely▪ good▪Green is a good colour on you.
▪ complementary, contrasting▪ matching▪ basic▪ primary, secondary▪ indeterminate, neutral▪ natural▪ blue, red, etc.▪The curtains went a strange orange colour when we washed them.
▪ bluish, reddish, etc.▪ pure, solid, uniform▪Simple patterns and solid colours are particularly effective.
▪ full▪a 48-page reference section in full colour
▪a 24-page full-colour booklet
▪ eye, hair, skin▪What is her natural hair colour?
… OF COLOUR/COLOR▪ dash, flash, splash▪ mass, riot▪The garden is a riot of colour in spring.
▪ spot, touchVERB + COLOUR/COLOR▪ change▪The chameleon changes colour to match its surroundings.
▪ add▪The silk cushions add colour to an otherwise dull room.
▪ match▪Your shirt matches the colour of your eyes.
▪ wear▪I like to wear bright colours.
COLOUR/COLOR + VERB▪ match (sth)▪ clash▪ fade▪ run▪This colour runs, so wash the shirt separately.
▪ range from …▪The leaf colour ranges from dark green to almost brown.
COLOUR/COLOR + NOUN▪ combination, range, scheme▪We have to choose a colour scheme for the dining room.
▪ palette▪ code, coding▪ illustration, photograph, photography, picture, plate, printing, reproduction▪ monitor, printer, screen, televisionPREPOSITION▪ in colour▪The flowers are pale blue in colour.
▪Is the film in colour or black and white?
▪The book is lavishly illustrated in full colour.
▪ in a colour▪The scarf is available in six different colours.
PHRASES▪ a combination of colours, a range of colours2 of a person's skinCOLOUR/COLOR + NOUN▪ bar (BrE), barrier (AmE)PREPOSITION▪ of colour (esp. AmE)▪people of colour
PHRASES▪ on the basis of colour, on (the) grounds of colour▪to discriminate on the basis of colour
3 redness in the faceADJECTIVE▪ heightened, high▪You could tell she was excited by the heightened colour in her cheeks.
▪ faintVERB + COLOUR/COLOR▪ have▪You have a little more colour in your cheeks now.
▪ bring▪The walk brought colour to her face.
▪ be drained of, drain of, lose▪His face drained of all colour.
COLOUR/COLOR + VERB▪ flood sth, rise, rush▪Colour flooded her cheeks.
▪The colour rose in his face.
▪I could feel the colour rush to my cheeks.
▪ drain▪The colour drained from her face when she saw him.
▪ come back, return▪Gradually the colour returned to his cheeks.
4 interesting or exciting detailsADJECTIVE▪ local▪a journalist in search of a bit of local colour
VERB + COLOUR▪ add, give sth, lend▪His asides lent colour to the story.
PHRASES▪ full of colour{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}(BrE) (AmE color) verbADVERB▪ heavily, strongly▪His opinions are heavily coloured by his own experiences.
▪ naturally
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
