white
♦♦♦ white /hw'aɪt/ (whiter whitest whites)
1 [COLOUR]
Something that is white is the colour of snow or milk.
He had nice square white teeth...
He was dressed in white from head to toe.
● whiteness [N-UNCOUNT]
Her scarlet lipstick emphasized the whiteness of her teeth.
2 [ADJ]
A white person has a pale skin and belongs to a race which is of European origin.
He was white, with brown shoulder-length hair and a moustache.
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Whites are white people.
It's a school that's brought blacks and whites and Hispanics together.
3 [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ
If someone goes white, the skin on their face becomes very pale, for example because of fear, shock, anger, or illness.
Richard had gone very white, but he stood his ground...
His face was white with fury.
[PHRASE] v-link PHR
If someone looks white as a sheet or as white as a sheet, they look very frightened, shocked, or ill.
He appeared in the doorway, white as a sheet, eyes wide with horror.
4 [ADJ]
White wine is pale yellow in colour.
Gregory poured another glass of white wine and went back to his bedroom.
[N-MASS]
You can refer to white wine as white.
I bought a bottle of Californian white.
5 [ADJ]
White coffee has had milk or cream added to it. (BRIT)
Wayne has a large white coffee in front of him.
6 [ADJ] ADJ n
White blood cells are the cells in your blood which your body uses to fight infection.
7 [N-VAR]
The white of an egg is the transparent liquid that surrounds the yellow part called the yolk.
8 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
The white of someone's eye is the white part that surrounds the coloured part called the iris.black and white
also black-and-white
1 [COLOUR]
In a black and white photograph or film, everything is shown in black, white, and grey.
...old black and white film footage...
The pictures were in black and white.
2 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
A black and white television set shows only black-and-white pictures.
3 [ADJ]
A black and white issue or situation is one which involves issues which seem simple and therefore easy to make decisions about.
But this isn't a simple black and white affair, Marianne...
She saw things in black and white.
= clear-cut
4 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
You say that something is in black and white when it has been written or printed, and not just said.
He'd seen the proof in black and white...milk white
[COLOUR]
You can use milk white to describe things that are a milky white colour. (LITERARY)
Mist was rising, and trees and shrubs began to disappear in a milk-white haze.white Christ|mas (white Christmases)
[N-COUNT]
A white Christmas is a Christmas when it snows.white el|ephant (white elephants)
[N-COUNT]
If you describe something as a white elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.
The pavilion has become a £14 million steel and glass white elephant.white goods
[N-PLURAL]
People in business sometimes refer to fridges, washing machines, and other large pieces of electrical household equipment as white goods. Compare brown goods.white knight (white knights)
[N-COUNT]
A white knight is a person or an organization that rescues a company from difficulties such as financial problems or an unwelcome takeover bid. (BUSINESS)
...a white-knight bid.white lie (white lies)
[N-COUNT]
If you refer to an untrue statement as a white lie, you mean that it is made to avoid hurting someone's feelings or to avoid trouble, and not for an evil purpose.white meat (white meats)
[N-UNCOUNT] also N in pl
White meat is meat such as chicken and pork, which is pale in colour after it has been cooked.white noise
[N-UNCOUNT]
White noise is sound, especially of a loud, continuous, or unpleasant kind, that seems to have no pattern or rhythm.
They were made to listen to white noise, such as static of the sort you might pick up between radio stations.white pep|per
[N-UNCOUNT]
White pepper is pepper which has been made from the dried insides of the fruits of the pepper plant.white sauce (white sauces)
[N-MASS]
White sauce is a thick white sauce made from milk, flour, and butter. Meat, fish, or vegetables are often cooked in or served in white sauce.white spir|it
[N-UNCOUNT]
White spirit is a colourless liquid that is made from petrol and is used, for example, to make paint thinner or to clean surfaces. (BRIT; in AM, use turpentine)white trash
[N-UNCOUNT-COLL]
Some people use white trash to refer to poor white people who they think are worthless. (AM OFFENSIVE)
...a place peopled by illiterate poor white trash.white wed|ding (white weddings)
[N-COUNT]
A white wedding is a wedding where the bride wears white and the ceremony takes place in a church. (mainly BRIT)
1 [COLOUR]
Something that is white is the colour of snow or milk.
He had nice square white teeth...
He was dressed in white from head to toe.
● whiteness [N-UNCOUNT]
Her scarlet lipstick emphasized the whiteness of her teeth.
2 [ADJ]
A white person has a pale skin and belongs to a race which is of European origin.
He was white, with brown shoulder-length hair and a moustache.
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Whites are white people.
It's a school that's brought blacks and whites and Hispanics together.
3 [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ
If someone goes white, the skin on their face becomes very pale, for example because of fear, shock, anger, or illness.
Richard had gone very white, but he stood his ground...
His face was white with fury.
[PHRASE] v-link PHR
If someone looks white as a sheet or as white as a sheet, they look very frightened, shocked, or ill.
He appeared in the doorway, white as a sheet, eyes wide with horror.
4 [ADJ]
White wine is pale yellow in colour.
Gregory poured another glass of white wine and went back to his bedroom.
[N-MASS]
You can refer to white wine as white.
I bought a bottle of Californian white.
5 [ADJ]
White coffee has had milk or cream added to it. (BRIT)
Wayne has a large white coffee in front of him.
6 [ADJ] ADJ n
White blood cells are the cells in your blood which your body uses to fight infection.
7 [N-VAR]
The white of an egg is the transparent liquid that surrounds the yellow part called the yolk.
8 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
The white of someone's eye is the white part that surrounds the coloured part called the iris.black and white
also black-and-white
1 [COLOUR]
In a black and white photograph or film, everything is shown in black, white, and grey.
...old black and white film footage...
The pictures were in black and white.
2 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
A black and white television set shows only black-and-white pictures.
3 [ADJ]
A black and white issue or situation is one which involves issues which seem simple and therefore easy to make decisions about.
But this isn't a simple black and white affair, Marianne...
She saw things in black and white.
= clear-cut
4 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
You say that something is in black and white when it has been written or printed, and not just said.
He'd seen the proof in black and white...milk white
[COLOUR]
You can use milk white to describe things that are a milky white colour. (LITERARY)
Mist was rising, and trees and shrubs began to disappear in a milk-white haze.white Christ|mas (white Christmases)
[N-COUNT]
A white Christmas is a Christmas when it snows.white el|ephant (white elephants)
[N-COUNT]
If you describe something as a white elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.
The pavilion has become a £14 million steel and glass white elephant.white goods
[N-PLURAL]
People in business sometimes refer to fridges, washing machines, and other large pieces of electrical household equipment as white goods. Compare brown goods.white knight (white knights)
[N-COUNT]
A white knight is a person or an organization that rescues a company from difficulties such as financial problems or an unwelcome takeover bid. (BUSINESS)
...a white-knight bid.white lie (white lies)
[N-COUNT]
If you refer to an untrue statement as a white lie, you mean that it is made to avoid hurting someone's feelings or to avoid trouble, and not for an evil purpose.white meat (white meats)
[N-UNCOUNT] also N in pl
White meat is meat such as chicken and pork, which is pale in colour after it has been cooked.white noise
[N-UNCOUNT]
White noise is sound, especially of a loud, continuous, or unpleasant kind, that seems to have no pattern or rhythm.
They were made to listen to white noise, such as static of the sort you might pick up between radio stations.white pep|per
[N-UNCOUNT]
White pepper is pepper which has been made from the dried insides of the fruits of the pepper plant.white sauce (white sauces)
[N-MASS]
White sauce is a thick white sauce made from milk, flour, and butter. Meat, fish, or vegetables are often cooked in or served in white sauce.white spir|it
[N-UNCOUNT]
White spirit is a colourless liquid that is made from petrol and is used, for example, to make paint thinner or to clean surfaces. (BRIT; in AM, use turpentine)white trash
[N-UNCOUNT-COLL]
Some people use white trash to refer to poor white people who they think are worthless. (AM OFFENSIVE)
...a place peopled by illiterate poor white trash.white wed|ding (white weddings)
[N-COUNT]
A white wedding is a wedding where the bride wears white and the ceremony takes place in a church. (mainly BRIT)