to purple
- verb
- /ˈpɜrpl/
- The bruising that mottled his throat had begun to purple.
- sky purpled
- evening purpled
- skin purpling
Examples
-
During the festival, the balloons purpled in the evening light, creating a magical atmosphere.
-
My father pulled up in his Olds, a company rental, just as the sky was starting to purple.
Fiction book (2002) -
It slowly changed from pale to red and then to purple.
Fiction book (1991) -
Evening had purpled the thick clouds overhead.
Fiction book (1992) -
Water a foot below, we smoked a pin joint and sang as the sky purpled and oranged with sunset.
Fiction book (1999) -
Daily, the world itself presents us this phenomenon: morning light on the rock formation; high, white glare on the inlet strand; purpling evening on the distant line of hills.
Academic text (2007) -
As the sun set, the sky purpled beautifully, casting a warm glow over the landscape.
-
The artist watched the canvas as she purpled the paint to get the perfect shade for her sunset.
Synonyms
To become purple or cause something to turn purple
To make something purple
Idioms
Compounds
- Formal
A military medal given to people in the United States military who are wounded or killed in action
A tall marsh plant with long purple flower spikes that crowd out native plants
- Specialized
A large North American swallow with shiny blue-black males and duller females
- Formal
A United States military medal that is given to service members wounded or killed in combat
A wild orchid with pink or purple flowers in a loose cluster that blooms in spring
- Specialized
A type of tree with shiny purple or copper-coloured leaves often grown in gardens
- Specialized
A North American flowering herb with leaves in rings and small purple spotted flowers
A California plant with white and pale purple flowers that grow in rings around the stem like a small tower
- Specialized
A plant with purple to pink flowers that farmers grow for animal food and to make soil better
- Specialized
A small plant that lives for several years with purple flowers that bloom in spring
- US
A small evergreen shrub with purple flowers that grows in wet places in the southeastern United States
A small fruit tree with purple twigs, white flowers, and purple fruit grown mainly for its looks
A plant that grows back every year with divided leaves and purple drooping flowers in northern regions
- Specialized
Small living things that use light to make energy, look pink or purple, and live where there is little oxygen
- Specialized
A bright purple-blue marsh bird with a red bill that lives in marshes
- Specialized
A small North American bird with males that have red heads and females with brown streaks
- Specialized
An orchid from North America with rosy purple flowers and finely toothed leaves
- Specialized
A small wild plant with rosy-purple flowers that grows in wet meadows in eastern North America
- Informal
A silly phrase people use to say something is confusing or absurd
A wild plant with silvery leaves, violet, blue or white flowers and round berries used to make milk into cheese
A round vegetable with purple skin and a mild, slightly sweet taste often eaten raw in salads or on burgers
A North American orchid with a long stem of purple and white flowers that form a hood
- US
A plant that grows in small clumps with purple, pink, or white flowers in the dry southwest United States
- Specialized
A plant with purple, pink, or white flowers that can poison farm animals
- Australian
An Australian shrub that keeps its leaves all year and has shiny green leaves and bright purple flowers
A small tropical bush or tree that produces deep red oval fruit you can eat
A long-lived plant with strong-smelling pink or purple flowers and a root used in traditional medicine to help childbirth
Hairy plant that lives many years with round lobed leaves and large purple or red flowers
A plant that lives for more than one year with small groups of yellow, red or purple flowers
A plant that lives for many years and has pink-purple flowers attracting butterflies
A North American orchid with clusters of purple fringed flowers that grows in wet meadows and marshes
- Specialized
A mushroom with a slimy purple cap and gills that turn dark purple when bruised
- Specialized
A wildflower with purple stems and clusters of violet or blue flowers
How Dark
Surface Forms
Etymology
Purple as a verb comes from the same old word purpura, and it simply means to 'make something purple' or to 'become purple', like being dyed that rich color.