rouge

1 of 2

noun

ˈrüzh How to pronounce rouge (audio)
especially Southern ˈrüj
Synonyms of rouge
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The word rouge is, after all, a term for blush—derived from the French word for red. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 19 May 2026 Use a lint roller to remove dry powders, bronzers, and rouge from the fabric. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
His face seemed to flash through colors, his cheeks rouged, then went pink, then yellow. — Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for rouge

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

Rhymes for rouge

See All Rhymes for rouge

Browse Nearby Words

Rouen
rouge
rougeberry
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rouge. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

More from Merriam-Webster on rouge

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rouge

Nglish: Translation of rouge for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rouge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All