bling

noun \ ˈbliŋ \

variants: or bling-bling play \ˈbliŋ-ˌbliŋ\

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of bling

: flashy jewelry worn especially as an indication of wealth or status; broadly : expensive and ostentatious possessions

Recent Examples of bling from the Web

The largest field of candidates for governor in Connecticut history is being judged by a different wealth index — not by their bank accounts, balance sheets or bling, but by the number of bathrooms in their homes.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "A New Measure Of Wealth In The Governor's Race: Number Of Bathrooms At Home," 6 June 2018
The late-afternoon festival preceded a parade that got underway at dusk, with floats and marchers festooned with lights of all descriptions and vendors doing a brisk business in glow-sticks and other sparkly bling.

— janice steinhagen, Courant Community, "Jewett City's Main Street Lights Up The Night For Parade," 16 May 2018
To up the ante, as one does at Cannes Film Festival—Coelho also added some major bling to her look.

— chrissy rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Camila Coelho Makes Her Cannes Debut in a $1 Million Dollar Outfit," 9 May 2018
There were countless crowns, tons of tiaras, a handful of heavenly halos, and a very bling-y papal hat worn by none other than Rihanna on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual gala.

— amber kallor, Allure, "How Lily Aldridge’s Simple Knotted Hairstyle for the 2018 Met Gala Came to Life," 8 May 2018
Kay points to royal brides Sarah, Duchess of York, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex as past recipients of some serious wedding bling.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Why Meghan Markle May Get Her Very Own Tiara for the Wedding," 26 Apr. 2018
The British crown knows that the British people deserve a bit of bling for their money.

— patt morrison, latimes.com, "After centuries of practice, Britain's royals figure out how to turn a wedding into a global watch party," 17 May 2018
And because even the sparkliest of paint jobs still calls for bling, Hadid decked out her fingers in light-catching diamonds and sterling.

— calin van paris, Vogue, "Bella Hadid Steps Out in the Nail Color of the Moment at LAX," 12 Apr. 2018
Sleek watch Guys appreciate a little bling, too, and this neutral timepiece will go with everything.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "21 Out-of-the-Box Birthday Gifts Your Boyfriend Will Love," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bling

imitative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1999

in the meaning defined above

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Definition of bling

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