blue-collar
adjective
blue-col·lar
ˈblü-ˈkä-lər 
1
: of, relating to, or constituting the class of wage earners whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare white-collar
2
: having characteristics associated with blue-collar workers: such as
a
: having, showing, or appealing to unpretentious or unsophisticated tastes
a new blue-collar serial … woven around a minor-league baseball team—
Steven Flax
Steven Flax
b
: dependable and hard-working rather than showy or spectacular
a blue-collar athlete
Examples of blue-collar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The chain had locations in blue-collar towns such as Santa Ana and Colton, but also suburbs such as Alhambra and Santa Monica.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
That comes from a blue-collar family that he was raised in.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024
The album has the trademark blue-collar vibe of many other Springsteen albums, but this was also full of bleak and hopeless themes, accompanied by a sparse instruments.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The strategy echoed that of Trump, who aimed to win over blue-collar American voters who had traditionally backed Democratic candidates.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
Located in Yalova, just outside of Turkey’s commercial hub of Istanbul, the company has a workforce of 1,200 people, including blue-collar workers.
—Ugur Yilmaz, Fortune Europe, 8 Apr. 2024
Their workforces represent white-collar and blue-collar jobs.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
As blue-collar Russian workers went off to fight in Ukraine, took jobs at armaments factories or left the country to avoid being drafted, citizens of Tajikistan and two other Central Asian countries have partly filled the void.
—Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Much like Young’s, LeBlanc’s lyrics on Coyote are blue-collar poetry that take flight on the wings of rock, country, and folk music.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
That comes from a blue-collar family that he was raised in.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024
The album has the trademark blue-collar vibe of many other Springsteen albums, but this was also full of bleak and hopeless themes, accompanied by a sparse instruments.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
The strategy echoed that of Trump, who aimed to win over blue-collar American voters who had traditionally backed Democratic candidates.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
Located in Yalova, just outside of Turkey’s commercial hub of Istanbul, the company has a workforce of 1,200 people, including blue-collar workers.
—Ugur Yilmaz, Fortune Europe, 8 Apr. 2024
Their workforces represent white-collar and blue-collar jobs.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
As blue-collar Russian workers went off to fight in Ukraine, took jobs at armaments factories or left the country to avoid being drafted, citizens of Tajikistan and two other Central Asian countries have partly filled the void.
—Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Much like Young’s, LeBlanc’s lyrics on Coyote are blue-collar poetry that take flight on the wings of rock, country, and folk music.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blue-collar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to blue-collar
Dictionary Entries Near blue-collar
Cite this Entry
“Blue-collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue-collar. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
blue-collar
adjectiveˈblü-ˈkäl-ər
: of or relating to the class of workers whose duties require work clothes
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