pink

PINGK/pɪŋk/

Adjectivepinker, pinkest

Noun pluralpinks

Verbpinks, pinking, pinked

29 meanings of pink

Practice

1
pale redadjective
Of a pale red color, somewhere between red and white.
Like the color of bubble gum or a baby's blanket.
The new towels in our bathroom are pink.
The baby wore a tiny pink hat with a bow.
Similarrosy, rose
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A pale red color, or a bright reddish-purple one.
Like the color of strawberry ice cream.
Pink is her favorite color for clothes.
The whole nursery was decorated in soft pink.
3
verbintransitive
To turn pink, or to make something turn pink.
Like the way the sky changes color when the sun comes up.
Her face pinked when he praised her drawing.
The sky began to pink at the first light of dawn.
Similarredden, flush, blush, color
4
adjectivecolloquial
Connected with women or girls, often shown by the color pink.
Toy stores often put the dolls in the pink section for girls.
She was angry about the pink tax on women's razors.
UsageUsually comes before a noun, as in pink-collar jobs or the pink aisle.
Similargirly, feminine
Note

Less common meanings

5
gayadjectivecolloquial
Connected with gay people considered as a group in society.
Both candidates tried hard to win the pink vote.
Marketers worked hard to win over the pink pound.
UsageUsually comes before a noun, as in the pink pound or the pink vote.
Similargay
Note
6
nouncountable or uncountable
A garden flower of the genus Dianthus, often pink and closely related to the carnation.
Like a small, sweet-smelling cousin of the carnation.
She grew rows of pinks along the garden path.
A single pink bloomed by the fence in early summer.
Similardianthus
7
mildly socialistadjective
Liking some socialist ideas, but not fully socialist or communist.
Critics called the senator pink for backing the welfare programs.
His pink politics annoyed both the left and the right.
Similarleftist, progressive
Oppositeconservative, rightist
Note
8
nouncolloquialUScountable or uncountable
Another word for pinko: an insulting name for someone with left-wing or socialist views.
The newspaper branded the young writer a pink for his radical articles.
In those days, neighbors whispered that the schoolteacher was a pink.
Note
9
vulvanounslangvulgarcountable or uncountable
A crude slang word for a woman's sex organs.
The censors cut every scene that showed pink.
The magazine showed nude models but never any pink.
UsageOften in show pink, about very explicit pictures.
10
scallop edgesverbtransitive
To decorate cloth by cutting small holes or a zigzag edge into it.
Like cutting paper with zigzag scissors to make a fancy edge.
She liked to pink the hem of every dress she made.
The tailor pinked the collar with rows of tiny holes.
Similarscallop, notch, perforate
Note
11
snooker ballnouncountable or uncountable
In snooker, the ball colored pink, worth six points.
He potted the pink to move ahead on the scoreboard.
She needed the pink and the black to win the frame.
UsagePeople usually say the pink.
Note
12
engine knockverbintransitive
Of a car engine, to make a sharp, high knocking sound, often because the timing is set wrong.
Like a small tapping or knocking sound, as if something inside the engine is rattling.
The old engine began to pink whenever it climbed a steep hill.
Cheap fuel made the motor pink loudly.
Similarknock, ping
Note
13
wound (words)verbtransitive
To hurt someone's feelings with sharp words or mockery.
Like a small, sharp poke, but with words instead of a pin.
Her sharp reply pinked him in front of everyone.
He liked to pink his rivals with clever jokes.
Similarsting, wound, nettle
Note
14
heat a gemverbtransitive
To heat a gemstone such as topaz until it turns pink.
Like heating something in an oven until it changes color.
Jewelers often pink topaz to make it look more valuable.
The craftsman pinked the pale stone in a small furnace.
Note
15
nouncountable or uncountable
The bright red color of the coats that fox hunters traditionally wear.
The riders in hunting pink trotted off after the hounds.
He was proud to wear the pink at his first meet.
Similarscarlet
Note
16
adjective
Bright red, said of a fox hunter's riding coat.
He wore his pink coat to the morning hunt.
The huntsman's pink jacket stood out against the green hills.
Similarscarlet, red
17
fox hunternouncountable or uncountable
A person who hunts, especially one who rides after foxes.
The pink reined in his horse at the edge of the woods.
Several pinks gathered for the morning hunt.
Similarhuntsman, hunter
Note
18
finest examplenoundatedcountable or uncountable
The best or most perfect example of something.
She was the pink of good manners at the dinner table.
Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy.
c. 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”Here, pink means the most perfect example of something.
UsageSay the pink of a quality, or the very pink of: the pink of fashion.
Similarepitome, embodiment, height, acme
Note
19
prick (sword)verbtransitive
To stab someone lightly with the point of a sword.
Like poking someone with the tip of a pin, but with a sword.
The duelist pinked his opponent on the arm.
One quick thrust was enough to pink the man's shoulder.
Similarstab, prick, jab, thrust
Note
20
high noteverbintransitive
Of a musical instrument, to make a very high, short sound.
And then the record changed, a piano pinking high a Poulenc-like theme.
1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy)
Similartinkle, chime, ting, ping
Note
21
nounobsolete
A small hole or stab made by something sharp, such as a sword or dagger.
The fellow's a shrewd fellow at a pink.
1638, “Lady's Trial”, in FordHere, pink means a quick stab with a sharp blade.
A freebooter’s pink, sir, three or four inches deep.
1607, Thomas Middleton, Your Five GallantsHere, pink means a small, deep stab wound.
Note
22
nounobsolete
A small decorative hole, or a wavy cut along an edge, made in a piece of clothing.
small pinks, cuts or iagges in clothes
1598, Florio, TagliuzziHere, pinks means small holes or cuts made in clothes for decoration.
Is this pinke of equall proportion to this cut?
1599, Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Rev.Here, pinke means a small decorative hole or cut in clothing.
Note
23
nounslang
A middle-class person who has money but little education or culture.
24
noundialectal
A small freshwater fish, also called the common minnow.
25
noundialectal
A young Atlantic salmon, while it is still small and living in the river.
26
noun
A type of old dye or paint, usually yellow, green, or brown, made from plants.
To make Dutch pink, boil the stems of woad in a solution of alum, and then mix the liquor with clay, marl, or chalk, which will become mixed with the colour of the decoction
1816, Pierre François Tingry, The Painter and Varnisher's GuideHere, pink refers to a yellow or brownish color made from a plant.
27
nounobsolete
A small ship with a narrow back end.
28
verbobsolete
To quickly close and open one or both eyes.
A Hungry Fox that had got a Cock in his Eye, and could not tell how to come at him ; cast himself at his Length upon the Ground, and there he lay winking and pinking as if he had Sore Eyes.
1692, Roger L'Estrange, “A Fox and a Cock”
29
adjectiveobsolete
Of eyes, half closed or winking.
Come, thou monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus with pink eyne! In thy vats our cares be drowned, With thy grapes our hairs be crowned.
c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of pink apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–9, 11, 14–18

The color is named after a garden flower called the pink. Where the flower's own name comes from is not certain.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The color takes its name from the flower called pink. en.wikipedia.org
The pink is a garden flower. en.wikipedia.org
The origin of the flower's name is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 10, 13, 19, 21–22

It is probably an imitative word, or it may come from Dutch pingelen, meaning "to do fine needlework."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Pink is probably ultimately imitative. en.wiktionary.org
Pink may come from Dutch pingelen. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch pingelen can mean “to do fine needlework.” en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 12, 20

It imitates a sound, like the word ping.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Pink has a sound-imitative origin. en.wiktionary.org
Ping is a comparable sound-imitative word. en.wiktionary.org