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Definition of white noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

white

noun
 
 
/waɪt/
 
/waɪt/
Idioms
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  1.  
     [uncountable] the colour of fresh snow or of milk
    • various shades of white
    • in white She was dressed all in white.
    • the pure white of the newly painted walls
    • In China, you wear white when you are mourning.
    Topics Colours and Shapesa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • dead
    • pure
    • bright
    • …
    phrases
    • as white as a ghost
    • as white as snow
    See full entry
  2. [countable, usually plural] a member of a group of people who have pale skin, especially people who come from or whose ancestors came from Europe It can be considered offensive to refer to people as whites, so it is better to use the adjective: white people • a white man/woman Topics People in societyb2
  3. [uncountable, countable] white wine
    • Would you like red or white?
    • a very dry white
  4. [countable, uncountable] the part of an egg that surrounds the yolk (= the yellow part)
    • Use the whites of two eggs.
    • Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
    Topics Foodb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • egg
    verb + white
    • beat
    • whip
    • whisk
    • …
    phrases
    • the white of an egg
    See full entry
  5. [countable, usually plural] the white part of the eye
    • The whites of her eyes were bloodshot.
  6. whites
     [plural] white clothes, sheets, etc. when they are separated from coloured ones to be washed
    • (British English) Don't wash whites and coloureds together.
    • (North American English) Don't wash whites and colors together.
  7. whites
     [plural] white clothes worn for playing some sports
    • cricket/tennis whites
    8. see also flat white
    Word Originlate Old English hwīt, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wit and German weiss, also to wheat.
Idioms
black and white
 
  1. having no colours except black, white and shades of grey (in photographs, on television, etc.)
    • a film made in black and white
    • black-and-white photos
    Topics Film and theatrea1
(in) black and white
  1. in a way that makes people or things seem completely bad or good, or completely right or wrong
    • It's a complex issue, but he only sees it in black and white.
    • This is not a black-and-white decision (= where the difference between two choices is completely clear).
See white in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee white in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: white

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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