coloring

noun

col·​or·​ing ˈkə-lə-riŋ How to pronounce coloring (audio)
Synonyms of coloringnext
1
a
: the act of applying colors
b
: something that produces color or color effects
c(1)
: the effect produced by applying or combining colors
(2)
: natural color
(3)
: complexion, coloration
d
: change of appearance (as by adding color)
2
: influence, bias
3
: color sense 8
4
: timbre, quality

Synonyms of coloring

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of coloring in a Sentence

Her favorite activities include playing with stuffed animals and coloring. Our product contains no artificial coloring or flavoring. She added some blue food coloring to the icing. This scarf will look great with your coloring. He has very light coloring.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As mentioned above, this coloring is an indicator of ripeness and when to harvest tomatoes. — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2026 The pair are seen enjoying a day at the beach, creating a homemade art project and coloring by a pool. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Think bubbles, coloring pages, freeze dance, or even a craft station, complete with clay, paper, glue, and other assorted items that kids can create with. — Amanda Rock, Parents, 12 Aug. 2026 Researchers made a prototype dress out of different modules of the textiles, giving the dress’ collar, body and hem varied properties such as patterning, coloring and self-cleaning. — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for coloring

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of coloring was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing coloring

Browse Nearby Words

color in
coloring
coloring book
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coloring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coloring. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

coloring

noun
col·​or·​ing ˈkəl-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce coloring (audio)
1
: the act of applying colors
2
: something that produces color
food coloring
3
: the effect produced by applying or combining colors
4
: complexion sense 1, coloration
5
: change of appearance (as by adding color)

More from Merriam-Webster on coloring

Nglish: Translation of coloring for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All