blues

¹

[ blooz ]

noun

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

   This rainy spell is giving me the blues.

2. (used with a singular verb) Jazz.
   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

[ blooz ]

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

/ 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

Blues

²

/ bluːz /

plural noun

1. the Blues
   the Royal Horse Guards

blues

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈbluesy, adjective

Other Words From

• bluesy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blues¹

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

Origin of blues²

blue, -s ³

Idioms and Phrases

see have the blues .

Example Sentences

It’s a story told with beats, blues and voices, but also in onscreen text with citations, as if pages were being flipped.

From Los Angeles Times

In Charles, Jones found an emerging prodigy, a musician who played a blend of blues, gospel and R&B he’d never heard.

From Los Angeles Times

There are no political reds or blues in the forest, she tells audiences.

From Los Angeles Times

I'm Irish-Italian, so I got the blues and I got the joy at the same time.”

From BBC

“David sang ‘Ice Cream Man’ at his audition, which we thought was his song, but it was this old blues tune,” says Alex of the song that wound up on their mammoth self-titled 1977 debut.

From Los Angeles Times