country music

Definition of country music

: 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 One of country music’s hottest acts, Kacey Musgraves, who packs Nashville’s 20,000-capacticy Bridgestone Arena, also booked a show at the 4,800-capacity St. Augustine Amphitheater. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, "A Red Rocks, Hollywood Bowl type venue in Huntsville? That’s the plan," 8 Nov. 2019 The upcoming CMA Awards on Nov. 13 will highlight the women of country music. — Annie Reuter, Billboard, "CMA Hosts Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton Will Lead All-Star Female Medley to Open the Awards," 7 Nov. 2019 Three dozen models walked the runway as a few bars of country music played on repeat. — Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, "The Hottest Looks from the N.R.A.’s Concealed Carry Fashion Show," 23 Sep. 2019 One of country music’s biggest musical mysteries is what happened to Bobbie Gentry. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "From Luckenbach to Rocky Top, country is an American roadmap," 23 Sep. 2019 Jason Isbell has taken the tropes of country music and given them a sensitive, self-aware and often devastating 21st-century upgrade. — John Adamian, courant.com, "Best bets: Our 7 picks for this week’s concerts in Connecticut," 8 Sep. 2019 The backstory of country music has always been so actually utterly whitewashed. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Meet Yola, the Singer-Songwriter Giving Country a Soulful Spin," 4 Sep. 2019 The queens of country music are taking over the 2019 CMA Awards. — Marcus Jones, EW.com, "Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton will host the 2019 CMA Awards," 19 Aug. 2019 Since making his Summerfest side stage debut in 2013, White has become one of country music’s most energetic and engaging live showmen. — Erik Ernst, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "At Summerfest, Zac Brown Band can and does play almost anything you can imagine," 30 June 2019

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

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Last Updated

14 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Country music.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/country%20music. Accessed 22 November 2019.

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More Definitions for country music

country music

noun

English Language Learners Definition of country music

: a style of music that developed in the southern and western U.S. and that often contains lyrics relating to the lives of people who live in the country

See the full definition for country music in the English Language Learners Dictionary

country music

noun

Kids Definition of country music

: a style of music that developed in the southern and western United States, that is similar to folk music, and that often has lyrics about people who live in the country