country music

noun

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

Instead, she’s created a new flashpoint over the lack of women’s voices in country music. — Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE.com, "Martina McBride Stirs Battle with Spotify Over Gender Imbalance: 'I'm Frustrated for My Sisters'," 16 Sep. 2019 Yola’s career in country music has been a slow burn. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Meet Yola, the Singer-Songwriter Giving Country a Soulful Spin," 4 Sep. 2019 Carrie Underwood will host the show with Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, celebrating women in country music throughout the ceremony. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, "CMA Awards 2019: 4 acts with Alabama ties among nominees," 28 Aug. 2019 The project, with a debut album coming next month, takes an implicit stand against the recent disregard of women in country music by some of the industry’s gatekeepers. — Fortune, "What to Know About Black Women’s Equal Pay Day: The Broadsheet," 22 Aug. 2019 This year, the show will feature a major change as part of its efforts to celebrate the iconic women in country music. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Here's Everything to Know About the 53rd Country Music Association Awards," 19 Aug. 2019 These are major feats for any artist in the industry, but as a woman in country music, Morris’s accomplishments are particularly impressive given the current climate. — Jason Ikeler, Harper's BAZAAR, "Maren Morris Is Becoming the Voice for Women in Country Music," 31 July 2019 The spreadsheet-like intensity of his schedule sits just fine with this scion of country music titan Willie Nelson. — Randy Lewis, latimes.com, "Lukas Nelson, on his way to Stagecoach with Promise of the Real, talks Gaga, Neil Young and serendipity," 25 Apr. 2018 Fifty-nine people were killed at a country music concert in 2017 in Las Vegas. — oregonlive.com, "US records 20 mass killings so far in 2019, including 1 in Oregon," 1 Aug. 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

17 Oct 2019

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Time Traveler for country music

The first known use of country music was in 1942

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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