country music

noun

: music derived from or imitating the folk style of the Southern U.S. or of the Western cowboy

especially : popular vocal music characterized by simple harmonies, accompaniment by stringed instruments (such as guitar, fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel), repeated choruses, and often narrative lyrics

called also country, country and western

Examples of country music in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fourth cover, however, belonged to Pinto Bennett, the late singer-songwriter who made an outsized impact on country music in the Pacific Northwest for nearly half a century until his death in 2021. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026

Country Thunder Arizona 2026 Get your cowboy boots and you cowboy hat on and join the biggest country music festival in Arizona with performances from top artists such as Lainey Wilson, Zach Top, Brooks and Dunn and Gavin Adcock. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026

They’ll be joined by country music duo Brothers Osborne on their stop in Kansas City. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026

The multi-platinum country music singer will perform at the 2026 Iowa State Fair Grandstand. —Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

country music

noun

: music coming from or imitating the folk style of the Southern U.S. or the Western cowboy