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.

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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.

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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

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Blues ² British  

/ bluːz /

plural noun

1. the Royal Horse Guards

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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.

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blues Idioms  

1. see have the blues.

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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

Explanation

If you've got the blues, you probably want to lie in bed and cry — or get out your guitar and sadly sing the blues. Since the fourteenth century, the word blue has been used to mean "sad." The noun blues came into use in the 1700s to describe a state of sadness or melancholy. Around a hundred years later, a Black American musical genre adopted the word to describe its particular twelve-bar chord progression and folksy sound. Lyrics in blues music often describe hard times, struggles, and a particular kind of melancholy mood.

Example Sentences

Hansen was drawn to the beautiful shades of blues, greens and browns that the surface reveals if you’re patient enough.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Oxygen atoms glow green and nitrogen light up in reds, blues and pinks.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

One central scene that employs magical realism to trace the history of Black music from West Africa through the blues to present-day hip-hop is a standout -- before the blood flows.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Plus: The $599 MacBook Neo reviewed, the teens running a billion-dollar AI startup, electric-grid blues, and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Organizers invited an exhilarating mix of performers: there would be rock and roll, rhythm and blues, folk and country.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge