dye in the wool

verb

To dye woolen fibers before they are spun into thread.

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Meanings

verbdye in the wool (third-person singular simple present dyes in the wool, present participle dyeing in the wool, simple past and past participle dyed in the wool)

present singular third person dyes in the wool · participle present dyeing in the wool · participle past dyed in the wool · past dyed in the wool

  1. To dye woolen fibers before they are spun into thread.

    Therefore, it will be seen that it is easier and a timesaver to "dye-in-the-wool."

    1957, Mary E. Black, New Key to Weaving: A Textbook of Hand Weaving for the Beginning Weaver, page 505
    2 more examples

    The circumstance mentioned in the last two lines shows that it was usual to dye in the wool, as is sometimes done in England.

    1838, The Saturday magazine, volume XII, page 108

    Next comes the dyeing; though when indigo is used, it is better to dye "in the wool" before carding.

    1896, House Beautiful, page 20
Cite this entry
APA

dye in the wool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dye%20in%20the%20wool

MLA

“dye in the wool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dye%20in%20the%20wool. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dye in the wool,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dye%20in%20the%20wool.

Source: dye in the wool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.