rouge

1 of 2

noun

ˈrüzh How to pronounce rouge (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈrüj
1
: any of various cosmetics for coloring the cheeks or lips red
2
: a red powder consisting essentially of ferric oxide used in polishing glass, metal, or gems and as a pigment

rouge

2 of 2

verb

rouged; rouging

transitive verb

1
: to apply rouge to
2
: to cause to redden

intransitive verb

: to use rouge

Examples of rouge in a Sentence

Noun She was wearing too much rouge.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The set comes in 10 different colors and patterns, from black to blush to rouge toile and celadon toile. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2024 This meant replacing the famous ‘90s skinny brows for full-grown fluffiness, black lip liner instead of blended browns, and doll-like blush for chic, rouge contour. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024 Sophie Turner and Emma Stone also ditched the rouge, returning to their blonde roots, while Kim Kardashian and Keke Palmer went for a luscious honey blonde transformation. Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2023 Tom Ford traceless foundation stick Bobbi Brown pot rouge blush Sephora Ready, set, save on fragrances, makeup, hair, skincare, and body during the Sephora after-Christmas sale. Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2023 Reflectors must be wiped clean with exact proportions of spirits of wine and rouge powder. Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 The waves pound, each rhythmic crash wiping the foundation and the candy-glaze rouge lipstick off her glowing face. Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023 The stables were freshly splashed with a rouge the same hue as the leather used on the Selle Faubourg saddle, which was displayed on a platform at the center of the party. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2023 When Hermès in their wardrobe isn’t enough, add the luxury fashion house to their beauty routine and gift your recipient a bottle of nail lacquer in this rouge shade that comes in the brand’s iconic box. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2022
Verb
Come on, babe, and take a look at all the many celebrities who have rouged their knees and rolled their stockings down with the cast of the Broadway show (all 58 of them!) 01 Olivia Holt The actress and singer, 25, made her Broadway debut in Chicago on April 10, 2023, at the Ambassador Theatre. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2023 In ancient Egypt, both men and women were known to rouge their cheeks with a mixture of brownish-red pigment. Fiorella Valdesolo, WSJ, 18 Mar. 2022 Because Chandler was hit with rouging the passer on the play, Hamilton had an untimed down to try to win it from the 2. Richard Obert, azcentral, 30 Dec. 2019 That morning, Suzanne had spritzed some of her mother’s favorite perfume on her, put red lipstick on her lips and used some to rouge her cheeks. Maggie Jones, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2019 Sharing the catwalk with fellow gender-benders Jazelle and Munroe Bergdorf, Desmond wore his slicked gray hair and rouged cheeks with natural swagger. Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2018 From left: Prada’s Fair-Isle layered combo; an appealingly modest iteration at The Row; full-onmid-90s nostalgia at Versace; an ankle-grazing ensemble at Max Mara; Dior’s rouge 1960s revival. Rebecca Malinsky and Rory Satran, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2018 A normally modest Lisa Gherardini appears for her sitting heavily rouged, her hair in a snood, her lavish jewelry and ornamental scarves someone else’s idea. Christine Dolen, miamiherald, 17 July 2017 This is even better in a version rouged by chile oil and hiding traces of Sichuan peppercorn, their presence betrayed by a gradual blurring of the lips. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 2 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rouge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Middle French, from rouge red, from Latin rubeus reddish — more at ruby

First Known Use

Noun

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1752, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rouge was in 1746

Dictionary Entries Near rouge

Cite this Entry

“Rouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rouge. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rouge

1 of 2 noun
ˈrüzh How to pronounce rouge (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈrüj
1
: a cosmetic used to give a red color to the cheeks or lips
2
: a red powder consisting essentially of ferric oxide used for polishing (as glass or metal)

rouge

2 of 2 verb
rouged; rouging
: to put rouge on
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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