blues

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction
1
: low spirits : melancholy
suffering a case of the blues
2
: a song often of lamentation characterized by usually 12-bar phrases, 3-line stanzas in which the words of the second line usually repeat those of the first, and continual occurrence of blue notes in melody and harmony
3
: jazz or popular music using harmonic and phrase structures of blues

Examples of blues in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Switzerland, the only winter blues are the hues of the sky and markers for denoting intermediate ski runs. Rachel King, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2023 Color-wise, stripes traditionally track more to neutrals, with a heavy dose of different blues. Leah Melby Clinton, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Feb. 2023 Ringed by the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains and bathed in an Impressionist's palette of blues, Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest (1,645 feet) in the U.S. Deb Hopewell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2023 Aoife O’Donovan is up for three in the folk and Americana categories, while local blues kingpin Tom Hambridge is up for two (for producing records by Buddy Guy and Keb’ Mo). Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Feb. 2023 Developed in the plantation fields of the Delta region during slavery, blues is the African American music that forms the foundation for popular music genres including rock, pop, jazz and R&B. Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, House Beautiful, 30 Jan. 2023 The blues are just another sign your immune system is working hard to get you on the mend. Julia Ries, SELF, 10 Jan. 2023 Bright blues are winds moving toward radar at 60-80 mph and yellow/orange are winds moving away from the radar around 70-90 mph! CBS News, 28 Dec. 2022 Even the blues and greens of the human iris are structural. Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blues.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

blue devils

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blues was in 1741

Dictionary Entries Near blues

Cite this Entry

“Blues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blues. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blues

noun plural
1
: low spirits : melancholy
2
: a song often expressing sadness and characterized by the continual occurrence of the flatted third, fifth, and seventh tones of a scale in both the melody and harmony

Medical Definition

blues

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: low spirits : melancholy
blue adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on blues

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