DictionaryAI

white

WYT/waɪt/

Noun pluralwhites

34 meanings of white

Practice

  1. 1
    describing coloradjective
    Having the color of snow or milk, including hair or animal coloring that is white or nearly white.

    She wore a crisp white shirt to her job interview.

    Sunlight appears white because it blends every color together.

    Similarsnowy, milky

    Oppositeblack

  2. 2
    adjective
    Relatively light or pale in color, including skin that has not been tanned by the sun.

    The recipe calls only for the white part of the leek.

    I always ask for the white meat when we carve the turkey.

    UsageOften in fixed pairs that name the paler kind: white wine, white meat, white bread.

    Similarpale, light, fair

    Oppositedark

    Note

    Much of the word's everyday vocabulary lives here, in names for things that are only pale. White wine and white grapes are neither of them snow-white. In such fixed pairings the word marks the lighter member of a contrast rather than an exact color, which is how the noun for wine can stand opposite red.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  3. 3
    adjective
    Belonging to or relating to a racial group of people with light-colored skin, chiefly of European descent (official definitions vary, as in US census categories).

    The neighborhood was historically white and working-class.

    Census forms in many countries ask whether a person identifies as white.

    SimilarCaucasian

    Note

    It names a social and racial group, not an exact shade, and where the group's edges fall differs from one country's official forms to another's.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • White denotes a social and racial group rather than an exact skin shade. census.gov
    • Official classifications differ between countries, including whether particular groups fall within White. cy.ons.gov.uk
  4. 4
    nouncountable or uncountable
    The color of snow or milk; also, a paint or pigment of this color.

    The designer chose white for the entire reception room.

    Against the dark sky, the white of the clouds stood out sharply.

    UsageDressed in white usually takes no article; a white names one shade: a warm white.

    Oppositeblack

    Note

    As a color noun it works both ways. Uncountable, it names the color itself: Andrew Martin's Underground Overground (2012) has Tube platforms "tiled in white". Countable, it names a shade or kind, as in a warm white or several whites to choose from.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  5. 5
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A light-skinned person of European ancestry or origin.

    Among the early settlers, the whites formed a small minority.

    He was the only white living in that part of the city.

    UsageThe adjective is the more neutral choice (white people, white voters); the noun whites names the group directly.

    SimilarCaucasian

    Note

    The noun is a word for people counted in groups. Conan Doyle's The Lost World (1912) has "we four whites". Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow (2010) moves from "white voters" to "whites who remained resentful".

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  6. 6
    egg partnouncountable or uncountable
    The albumen of a bird's egg; the clear part surrounding the yolk that turns white when cooked.

    Whisk the white until stiff for the meringue.

    The recipe uses only the white, not the yolk.

    UsageSay egg white or the white of an egg; you separate it from the yolk.

  7. 7
    nouncountable or uncountable
    Wine that is pale or golden in color rather than red.

    He prefers a crisp white with seafood.

    A chilled white pairs well with summer meals.

    UsageA glass of white, a bottle of white; a crisp white for one wine.

    Oppositered

    Note

    Wine talk drops the noun and keeps the color: a bottle of white, a bottle of red. Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" (1977) pairs them exactly that way.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” is a Billy Joel song. en.wikipedia.org
    • The song was released in 1977. billyjoel.com
    • The song pairs “a bottle of white” and “a bottle of red” exactly as described. billyjoel.com
  8. 8
    nouncountable
    Any object or substance whose color is white.

    She keeps her whites in a separate basket so they never pick up color from her jeans.

    Wash the whites on a hot cycle and the darks on cold.

    UsageLaundry is sorted into whites and darks.

    Oppositeblack

    Note

    Context does the work in this noun: it names a thing by color alone and leaves the setting to say what the thing is, whether a flower, a shirt or a stone. Where the color noun names the shade itself, this one names whatever wears it. Egg white, a glass of white and the white of the eye are the same habit settled on one thing.

  9. 9
    blankadjective
    Containing no characters; describing the blank areas of a page or screen.

    The typesetter added a white line between the two stanzas to separate them.

    Good designers leave white space around a headline to draw the reader's eye.

    UsageMostly in white space.

    Note

    Printers treat the blank as part of the design, and this is their word for it. It is most at home in the compound white space, which covers the gaps between words and lines and the margins around them.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

More uses

Practice

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

Origin

White comes from Middle English whit, from Old English hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "bright" or "shine." It is related to Dutch wit, German weiß, and Sanskrit śvetá ("white, bright").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

  • White descends through Middle English whit and Old English hwīt from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz. en.wiktionary.org
  • White ultimately derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning bright or shine. en.wiktionary.org
  • White is related to Dutch wit and German weiß. en.wiktionary.org
  • White is related to Sanskrit śvetá, meaning white or bright. en.wiktionary.org