What does "white" mean?
The color of snow or milk; the color of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths.
White
/waɪt/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The color of snow or milk; the color of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths.
- Grammar: white is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pale, achroma, achromasia, achromatic.
- Useful contrasts: black, blackest, blackish.
- Usage evidence: "What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit.
How to use "white"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "white" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "white" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "white" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "white" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The color of snow or milk; the color of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths. countable, uncountable
"Not only were the platforms tiled in white, the tunnels were painted white too - to prettify them, and make them less claustrophobic - and the Central proudly issued a postcard of its tunnel-whitening machine."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of white (“European”). alt-of
"The Whites on the mission were a special kind of white person, special in the way that my grandmother had explained to me, for they were holy."
- 3 (usually in the plural) trousers made of flannel or gabardine or tweed or white cloth wordnet
- 4 A person of European descent with light-colored skin. countable, uncountable
"The Indians carried first our canoes and then our stores through the brushwood, which is very thick at this point, while we four whites, our rifles on our shoulders, walked between them and any danger coming from the woods."
- 5 An anticommunist who fought against the Reds during the Russian Civil War; the term is mostly associated with monarchist forces. historical
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 (board games) the lighter pieces wordnet
- 7 Any butterfly of the subfamily Pierinae in the family Pieridae. countable, uncountable
"Several other beautiful butterflies rewarded my search in this place [...] The most abundant butterflies were the whites and yellows (Pieridae), several of which I had already found at Lombock and at Coupang, while others were new to me."
- 8 The player moving the white pieces.
"The eight files (from left to right for White and from right to left for Black) are indicated by the small letters, a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h, respectively."
- 9 the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black) wordnet
- 10 White wine. countable, uncountable
"A bottle of red, a bottle of white / It all depends upon your appetite / I'll meet you any time you want / In our Italian Restaurant."
- 11 the white part of an egg; the nutritive and protective gelatinous substance surrounding the yolk consisting mainly of albumin dissolved in water wordnet
- 12 White coffee countable, uncountable
- 13 a person of European descent with a light-skinned or pale complexion wordnet
- 14 Ellipsis of white bread abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable
- 15 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; The albumen of bird eggs (egg white). countable, uncountable
- 16 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; The sclera, white of the eye. countable, uncountable
"You could see from afar the white of their eyeballs glistening."
- 17 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; The cue ball in cue games. countable, uncountable
- 18 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; Cocaine. UK, US, countable, slang, uncountable
"I've got to hit the streets; I've got to move this white."
- 19 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; The snow- or ice-covered "green" in snow golf. countable, uncountable
- 20 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; A white pigment. countable, uncountable
"Venice white"
- 21 Any object or substance that is of the color white.; A white bean. countable, uncountable
"Nearly two-thirds of the Idaho crop has been great northerns, one-sixth small reds, and the remainder small flat whites and pintos and seed for snap beans and baby limas (table 21)."
- 22 The central part of the butt, which was formerly painted white; the centre of a mark at which a missile is shot. countable, uncountable
"'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white."
- 23 The enclosed part of a letter of the alphabet, especially when handwritten. countable, uncountable
"Also it giueth a great grace to your writing, if the whites of certeine letters bee made of one equall bignesse with the o. supposing the same were all round, as the white of the b. of the a. p. y. v. w. x. q. d. g. and s."
- 24 A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade. countable, uncountable
"3.—Wing-Quills or Remiges; Whites and Feminas.—The wing-quills are the largest feathers in the wing, and are arranged in a single row. They include the “Whites” in the cock, and the “Feminas” in the hen, as well as the “Byocks” or “Fancies” in the cock."
- 25 The person playing with the white set of pieces. countable, uncountable
"In this position, white has an opportunity to make a good move."
Verb
- 1 To make white; to whiten; to bleach. transitive
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
- 2 turn white wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Bright and colourless; reflecting equal quantities of all frequencies of visible light.
"Write in black ink on white paper."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of white (“of or relating to white complexion or Europeans”). Canada, UK, US, alt-of, not-comparable, sometimes
"Unfortunately, many White people have been raised to believe that their race is intrinsically more prejudice than others."
- 3 Of or relating to Europeans or those of European descent, regardless if their skin has cool or warm undertones. capitalized, sometimes
- 4 Of or relating to Caucasians (people with white complexion and European ancestry). capitalized, sometimes
"[…]more white corporations cognizant of the mounting purchasing power of the Negro consumer, have Negro representatives in the field[…]."
- 5 By U.S. Census Bureau definition, of or relating to people hailing from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. capitalized, sometimes
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 Designated for use by Caucasians. historical
"white drinking fountain"
- 7 Relatively light or pale in colour.
"white wine"
- 8 Pale or pallid, as from fear, illness, etc.
"Or whispering with white lips, "The foe! / They come! they come!""
- 9 Lacking coloration (tan) from ultraviolet light; not tanned.
- 10 Affected by leucism.
- 11 Containing cream, milk, or creamer.
- 12 The standard denomination of the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the white set, no matter what the actual colour.
"The white pieces in this set are in fact made of light green glass."
- 13 Pertaining to an ecclesiastical order whose adherents dress in white habits; Cistercian.
"a white monk"
- 14 Honourable, fair, decent, kind; generous. offensive, often, uncommon
"White as thy fame, and as thy honour clear."
- 15 Grey, as from old age; having silvery hair; hoary.
"Your high engendered battles 'gainst a head / So old and white as this."
- 16 Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favourable. archaic
"On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life."
- 17 Regarded with especial favour; favourite; darling. obsolete
"I am his white boy, and will not be gulled."
- 18 Pertaining to constitutional or anti-revolutionary political parties or movements.
"Aimée de Coigny had always adopted with enthusiasm the political views of her ruling lover and she had thus already held nearly every shade of opinion from red republicanism to white reaction."
- 19 Made from immature leaves and shoots.
"Most often consisting of a budset pluck, a frost tea has the clarity and freshness of a white tea, with the richness and lingering finish of a finely crafted black tea."
- 20 Not containing characters; see white space.
- 21 Said of a symbol or character outline, not solid, not filled with color. Compare black (“said of a character or symbol filled with color”).
"Compare two Unicode symbols: ☞ = "WHITE RIGHT POINTING INDEX"; ☛ = "BLACK RIGHT POINTING INDEX""
- 22 Characterised by the presence of snow.
"a white Christmas"
- 23 Alwhite, pertaining to white armor.
"For instance, tyro jousters in fifteenth-century Iberia wore “white armor,” while experienced men wore surcoats over their harness (Fallows 2010, 80), while fabric-covered breastplates are depicted in many examples of fifteenth-century northern European art."
Adjective
- 1 of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration wordnet
- 2 of summer nights in northern latitudes where the sun barely sets wordnet
- 3 being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light wordnet
- 4 anemic looking from illness or emotion wordnet
- 5 (of hair) having lost its color wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 (of coffee) having cream or milk added wordnet
- 7 (of a surface) not written or printed on wordnet
- 8 benevolent; without malicious intent wordnet
- 9 glowing white with heat wordnet
- 10 restricted to whites only wordnet
- 11 marked by the presence of snow wordnet
- 12 free from moral blemish or impurity; unsullied wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A common British and Irish surname transferred from the nickname. countable, uncountable
"When Dana White barreled up to the microphone, at Donald Trump’s request, to say his piece on election night, it represented confirmation of the UFC CEO’s status as one of the key members of the president-elect’s inner circle."
- 2 A locale in the United States:; A minor city in Bartow County, Georgia; named for its first postmaster. countable, uncountable
- 3 A locale in the United States:; A city in South Dakota; named for its first European settler. countable, uncountable
- 4 A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Washington; named for a Washington state judge. countable, uncountable
- 5 A locale in the United States:; A ghost town in Missouri; named for a local mining official. countable, uncountable
Example
""What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "white"?
Common synonyms include: pale, achroma, achromasia, achromatic, achromatosis, achromic.
How do you use "white" in a sentence?
"What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit.
How do you pronounce "white"?
Pronounced /waɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English whit, hwit, from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweydós, a byform of *ḱweytós (“bright; shine”). Cognates * West Frisian wyt *Dutch wit * German weiß * German weiss * Norwegian Bokmål hvit * Norwegian Nynorsk kvit * Lithuanian šviẽsti (“to gleam”), šviesa (“light”) * Old Church Slavonic свѣтъ (světŭ, “light”), свѣтьлъ (světĭlŭ, “clear, bright”) * Persian سفید (sefid, “white”), Persian سپید (sepid, “white”) * Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (spaēta, “white”) * Sanskrit श्वेत (śvetá, “white, bright”).
Etymology 2
* As an English surname, from Middle English White, as a nickname for someone with white hair or pale complexion; in some cases from a personal name of the same meaning. See the modern adjective white. * Also as an English surname, from Old English *wiht (“bend”), found only in placenames, a derivative of the verb wican (“to yield, bend”); compare Wight. * As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, used as a translation of several Gaelic names containing the element bán and geal, including Mac Giolla bháin (McElwain, Kilbane), Ó Gealagáin (Galligan), Bán (Bane), and Ó Banáin (Bannon). * Also as a Scottish and Irish surname, an Anglicization of Irish de Faoite, itself from Anglo-Norman le White, le Whyte, from the same source as the English surname.
Etymology 3
Capitalized due to this racial sense's connotation of (current or historical) European origin, so as to follow the capitalization rules for nationalities and ethne, known in former centuries as “races” (e.g., “the Chinese race”, “the English race”), and also, perhaps, as a way to explicitly distinguish it from the color sense, which is never capitalized outside proper nouns.