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Synonyms

blues

1 American  
[blooz] / bluz /

noun

  1. (used with a plural verb) the blues, depressed spirits; despondency; melancholy.

    This rainy spell is giving me the blues.

  2. (used with a singular verb)

    1. a song, originating with African Americans, that is marked by the frequent occurrence of blue notes, and that takes the basic form, customarily improvised upon in performance, of a 12-bar chorus consisting of a 3-line stanza with the second line repeating the first.

    2. the genre constituting such songs.

blues 2 American  
[blooz] / bluz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

  1. any of various blue military uniforms worn by members of the U.S. armed services.

    dress blues.

  2. a blue uniform for work; blue work clothes.

    a doctor in surgical blues.

  3. Informal. police.

    The blues keep this neighborhood safe.
blues 1 British  
/ bluːz /

plural noun

  1. a feeling of depression or deep unhappiness

  2. a type of folk song devised by Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century, usually employing a basic 12-bar chorus, the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords, frequent minor intervals, and blue notes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Blues 2 British  
/ bluːz /

plural noun

  1. the Royal Horse Guards

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
blues Cultural  

  1. A kind of jazz that evolved from the music of African-Americans, especially work songs and spirituals (see also spirituals), in the early twentieth century. Blues pieces often express worry or depression.

blues Idioms  

  1. see have the blues.

Other Word Forms

  • bluesy adjective

Etymology

Origin of blues1

First recorded in 1740–50; blue (in the sense “depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy”)

Origin of blues2

blue, -s 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But she arrives as a decorated musician who has woven Latin American, blues and soul traditions into nine bilingual albums — including her 2024 Grammy Award-winning acoustic album “X Mí.”

From Los Angeles Times

A palette of soft pinks, purples and blues lend warmth and dimension to Rana’s starkly beautiful home.

From The Wall Street Journal

Carter incorporates Guy’s real-life signature polka dots to highlight “this is a real story of the blues, and this is a real bluesman.”

From Los Angeles Times

But then it's finished "and there's a bit of baby blues afterwards," as she comes down off the adrenaline rush.

From Barron's

Meanwhile, Black Americans enslaved on plantations were using homemade instruments such as stringed gourds to produce music with complex rhythms influenced by African traditions, which would later develop into blues and jazz.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.