noun

rose

rohz

noun

A shrub or climbing plant, or its flower, prized for its fragrance and often thorny stems.

"She planted a row of roses along the garden fence."

"He gave her a single red rose on their anniversary."

A deep pink or pinkish-red colour, named after the flower.

"The bridesmaids wore dresses in a soft rose shade."

A circular, many-pointed design or fitting, such as a compass rose or a shower rose.

"The old compass rose was engraved on the ship's map."

How to Use Rose

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost commonly the flower, but also used for the pinkish colour and for round, flower-shaped shapes or fittings.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the past tense of the verb "rise" (also spelled "rose") with this unrelated noun — context makes it obvious, but they are two completely different words that happen to be spelled alike.

Common pairings

a bunch of roses rose-tinted a rose garden rose gold

Word Forms

rosed past tense, roses plural, Roses plural, roses singular

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She planted a row of _____ along the garden fence.

Etymology

From Old English rose, reinforced by Old French rose, both ultimately from Latin rosa — a word that may trace back through Greek to a very old Persian root for "flower."

Rhymes for rose

nose lose dose pose Jose hose Bose close moose whose goose loose

See all rhymes for rose →