Definition of 'white'
Word forms: comparative whiter
, superlative whitest
, plural whites
3. adjective
A White person has a pale skin and belongs to a race which is of European origin.
Whites are White people.
...a building that once housed a school for Whites.
4. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If someone goes white, the skin on their face becomes very pale, for example because of fear, shock, anger,
or illness.
See white as a sheet
5. adjective
White wine is pale yellow in colour.
6. adjective
7. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
White blood cells are the cells in your blood which your body uses to fight infection.
8. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
People who believe in white magic believe it is possible to use magic to do good things.
9. variable noun
The white of an egg is the transparent liquid that surrounds the yellow part called the yolk.
10. countable noun
The white of someone's eye is the white part that surrounds the coloured part called the iris.
11. plural noun
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
white
white in British English
adjective
2.
3.
comparatively white or whitish-grey in colour or having parts of this colour
white clover
4.
(of an animal) having pale-coloured or white skin, fur, or feathers
5.
bloodless or pale, as from pain, emotion, etc
8.
colourless or transparent
white glass
9.
capped with or accompanied by snow
a white Christmas
12.
(of wine) made from pale grapes or from black grapes separated from their skins
13.
a.
(of coffee or tea) with milk or cream
b.
(of bread) made with white flour
14. physics
having or characterized by a continuous distribution of energy, wavelength, or frequency
white noise
16.
(of armour) made completely of iron or steel (esp in the phrase white harness)
20. See bleed white
21. See whiter than white
noun
22.
a white colour
23.
the condition or quality of being white; whiteness
24.
the white or lightly coloured part or area of something
25. See the white
28. chess, draughts
a.
a white or light-coloured piece or square
b. (usually capital)
the player playing with such pieces
29.
anything that has or is characterized by a white colour, such as a white paint or
pigment, a white cloth, a white ball in billiards
30.
an unprinted area of a page
31. archery
a.
the outer ring of the target, having the lowest score
b.
a shot or arrow hitting this ring
32. poetic
fairness of complexion
33. See in the white
verb
34. (usually foll by out)
to create or leave white spaces in (printed or other matter)
35. obsolete
to make or become white
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
whitely (ˈwhitely) adverb
whiteness (ˈwhiteness)
noun
whitish (ˈwhitish)
adjective
whitishness (ˈwhitishness)
noun
Word origin
Old English hwīt; related to Old Frisian hwīt, Old Saxon hwīt, Old Norse hvītr, Gothic hveits, Old High German hwīz (German weiss)
White in British English 1
noun
1.
a person, esp one of European ancestry, from a human population having light pigmentation of the skin
adjective
2.
denoting or relating to a White person or White people
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
White in British English 2
noun
1.
Gilbert. 1720–93, English clergyman and naturalist, noted for his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789)
3.
4.
5.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
White in American English
2.
E(lwyn) B( rooks)1899-1985; U.S. writer
3.
Edward Douglass1845-1921; U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. (1910-21)
4.
Gilbert1720-93; Eng. naturalist & clergyman: author of The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
5.
Patrick (Victor Martindale)1912-90; Austral. writer
6.
ˈ Stanford (ˈstænfərd
) 1853-1906; U.S. architect
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
white in American English
adjectiveWord forms: ˈwhiter or ˈwhitest
1.
having the color of pure snow or milk; of the color of radiated, transmitted, or reflected light containing all of the visible rays of the spectrum;
opposite to black
see also color2.
of a light or pale color
; specif.,
b.
very blond
d.
light-yellow or amber
e.
blank
said of a space unmarked by printing, writing, etc.f.
of a light-gray color and lustrous appearance
said of silver and other metalsg.
made of silver
3.
lacking color; colorless
white creme de menthe
4.
clothed in white; wearing a white habit
the white Friars
7.
b. [sometimes W-]
of, controlled by, or restricted to Caucasoids
8.
being at white heat
9.
reactionary, counterrevolutionary, or royalist, as opposed to red (sense 10) red (sense 10a)
noun
11.
a.
white color
b.
a white pigment, paint, or dye
13.
a white or light-colored part
; specif.,a.
the albumen of an egg
b.
the white part of the eyeball
c.
a blank space in printing, writing, etc.
d.
the white or light-colored part of meat, wood, etc.
14.
something white or light-colored
; specif.,a.
white cloth
c.
a white breed, esp. of pig
e.
f.
g. Chess
the player or side with the white or lighter-colored pieces
15. [sometimes W-]
a person with a light-colored skin; member of the Caucasoid division of humans
16. [often W-]
a member of a reactionary or counterrevolutionary faction, party, etc. in certain European countries
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈwhited or ˈwhiting
19.
to make white; whiten
20.
to leave blank spaces in or around (printed or written matter, illustrations, etc.)
often with outIdioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME hwit < OE, akin to Ger weiss, ON hvitr, MDu wit < IE *kweid-, to gleam, bright, white > wheat, OSlav švěšta, a light, candle; (sense 7c) < notions of racial superiority
white in American English
(hwait, wait) (adjective whiter, whitest, verb whited, whiting)
adjective
1.
of the color of pure snow, of the margins of this page, etc.; reflecting nearly all the rays of sunlight or a similar light
2.
light or comparatively light in color
3.
pallid or pale, as from fear or other strong emotion
white with rage
4.
silvery, gray, or hoary
white hair
5.
snowy
a white Christmas
6.
lacking color; transparent
10.
wearing white clothing
a white monk
12.
auspicious or fortunate
13.
morally pure; innocent
15. (of wines)
light-colored or yellowish, as opposed to red
16. Brit (of coffee)
containing milk
17. See bleed white
noun
18.
a color without hue at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to black. A
white surface reflects light of all hues completely and diffusely. Most so-called whites are very light grays: fresh snow, for example, reflects about 80 percent of
the incident light, but to be strictly white, snow would have to reflect 100 percent
of the incident light. It is the ultimate limit of a series of shades of any color
19.
a hue completely desaturated by admixture with white, the highest value possible
20.
quality or state of being white
21.
lightness of skin pigment
22.
a white material or substance
23.
the white part of something
25.
the white part of the eyeball
He has a speck in the white of his eye
26. See whites
27.
white wine
Graves is a good white
28.
a type or breed that is white in color
29. (usually whites)
a blank space in printing
31. Entomology
any of several white-winged butterflies of the family Pieridae, as the common cabbage butterflies
32.
white fabric
33. Archery
a.
the outermost ring of the butt
b.
an arrow that hits this portion of the butt
c.
the central part of the butt or target, formerly painted white but now painted gold
or yellow
d. archaic
a target painted white
34. Chess & Checkers
the men or pieces that are light-colored
35. (often cap)
a member of a royalist, conservative, or reactionary political party
36. See in the white
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME whit(e), OE hwīt; c. G weiss, ON hvītr, Goth hweits; akin to wheat]Examples of 'white' in a sentence
white
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Word lists with
white
black, butterfly, sauce, SeasQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which butterfly or moth am I?
a fritillary butterfly, Pandoriana pandora, found in meadows of southern Europe
Which butterfly or moth am I?
any of various butterflies of the family Pieridae
Which butterfly or moth am I?
a large sombre-hued prominent moth, Stauropus fagi, that when at rest resembles dead leaves. The modified thoracic legs of the larva, carried curled over its body, look like a lobster's claw
Which butterfly or moth am I?
either of two Zerynthia species of white pierid butterfly of southern Europe, typically mottled red, yellow, and brown
Which butterfly or moth am I?
a moth, Cactoblastis cactorum of South America, that was introduced into Australia to act as a biological control on the prickly pear
Your score:
More idioms containing
white
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In other languages
white
British English: white
/waɪt/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is white is the colour of snow or milk.
He had nice square white teeth.
- American English: white /ˈwaɪt/
- Arabic: أَبْيَض
- Brazilian Portuguese: branco
- Chinese: 白的
- Croatian: bijeli
- Czech: bílý
- Danish: hvid
- Dutch: wit
- European Spanish: blanco
- Finnish: valkoinen
- French: blanc
- German: weiß
- Greek: λευκός
- Italian: bianco
- Japanese: 白い
- Korean: 흰
- Norwegian: hvit
- Polish: biały
- European Portuguese: branco
- Romanian: alb
- Russian: белый
- Latin American Spanish: blanco
- Swedish: vit
- Thai: สีขาว
- Turkish: beyaz
- Ukrainian: білий
- Vietnamese: trắng
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Definition of white from the Collins English Dictionary
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annual loss or sad loss?
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negative view or ocean views?
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ocean views
negative view
There isn't a pool but the are wonderful.
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faltering economy
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civil action
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knew or new?
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sang or sung?
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rap or wrap?
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wrap
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