the blues

plural noun

: a feeling of sadness or depression
I've got (a case of) the blues.

Examples of the blues in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But rather than sink into despair, many Black Americans have leaned on forms of Black cultural expression—call it the blues—to find a way out of no way. Eric Herschthal, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023 Let the blues tell it, and Black music ain’t all that far off from letting the Church tell it, which means singling out the seekers of salvation arriving at their altars to plead or confess. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023 One of the most challenging sets to pull off was Beale Street, a roughly two-mile stretch of downtown Memphis that became a vibrant locus for Black musical culture—the blues specifically—and a source of inspiration for a young Elvis. Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 1 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the blues.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near the blues

Cite this Entry

“The blues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20blues. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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