bluegrass

noun

blue·​grass ˈblü-ˌgras 

1

: any of several grasses (genus Poa) of which some have bluish-green culms

especially : kentucky bluegrass

2

[from the Blue Grass Boys, performing group, from Bluegrass state, nickname of Kentucky] : country music characterized by the use of unamplified stringed instruments (such as banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin), by free improvisation, and by close usually high-pitched harmony

Examples of bluegrass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Crabgrass is an annual, weedy, warm-season grass that prefers the hot and dry summer weather over the cool spring and fall temperatures that bluegrass prefers. —Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2025

Common grass pollen found in Boise will be bluegrass and Bermuda, timothy, and orchard grasses. —Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 20 Apr. 2025

My background is so much in bluegrass, and bluegrass is all about that choppy kind of backbeat thing with the mandolin. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025

Billy Strings is authentically bluegrass and is drawing a new audience to the genre and then there are artists like (fiddler) Michael Cleveland and others dedicated to preserving the traditional core. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bluegrass

• Kentucky bluegrass
• rough bluegrass

Rhymes for bluegrass

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• chagas
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse

Kids Definition

bluegrass

noun

blue·​grass -ˌgras 

1

: any of several grasses with usually bluish green stems

especially : Kentucky bluegrass

2

: country music played on a small group of instruments (as banjo, fiddle, and mandolin) with melody or harmony often made up by players during a performance

Geographical Definition

Bluegrass

geographical name

Blue·​grass ˈblü-ˌgras 

region of central Kentucky where Kentucky bluegrass abounds that is noted for the breeding of fine horses