blue

1 of 3

adjective

bluer; bluest
1
: of the color whose hue is that of the clear sky : of the color blue (see blue entry 2 sense 1)
a blue jacket
her bright blue eyes
The house is blue with white shutters.
2
a
: bluish
the blue haze of tobacco smoke
b
: discolored by or as if by bruising
blue with cold
c
: bluish gray
a blue cat
3
a
: low in spirits : melancholy
has been feeling blue
b
: marked by low spirits : depressing
a blue funk
things looked blue
4
: wearing blue
the blue team
5
of a woman : learned, intellectual
… the ladies were very blue and well-informed …W. M. Thackeray
6
: puritanical
… a blue Sunday city …James Street
7
a
: profane, indecent
a blue movie
b
: off-color, risqué
blue jokes
8
music : of, relating to, or used in blues (see blues sense 3)
a blue song
9
US politics : tending to support Democratic candidates or policies
As has become increasingly clear over the past few general elections, with their red states and blue states, an American Presidential campaign is no longer truly national.Hendrik Hertzberg
compare purple sense 3, red sense 5
bluely adverb
blueness noun

blue

2 of 3

noun

plural blues
1
: a color whose hue is that of the clear sky or that of the portion of the color spectrum lying between green and violet
Blue is his favorite color.
shades of blue
2
a
: a pigment or dye that colors blue
b
: bluing
adding blue to the laundry
3
a
: blue clothing or cloth
will be wearing blue
b
blues plural : a blue costume or uniform
wearing their dress blues
4
a
: a Union soldier in the American Civil War
b
often capitalized : the Union army
the Blue versus the Gray
5
a(1)
: sky
(2)
: the far distance
disappeared into the blue
b
: sea
6
: a blue object
the horse that won the blue [=blue ribbon]
… is bartered … like a stack of blues [=blue chips] in a Reno casino.John Lewis
7
: bluestocking
praised the writings of her fellow blues
8
biology : any of numerous small chiefly blue butterflies (family Lycaenidae)
9
: bluefish
fishing for blues
10
11
physics : one of the three colors (see color entry 1 sense 15) that quarks have in the theory of quantum chromodynamics
One cannot have a single quark on its own because it would have a color (red, green, or blue). Instead, a red quark has to be joined to a green and a blue quark by a "string" of gluons (red + green + blue = white). Such a triplet constitutes a proton or a neutron.Stephen Hawking

blue

3 of 3

verb

blued; blueing or bluing; blues

transitive verb

: to make (something) blue in color: such as
a
: to dye, tint, or paint (something) blue
Last, the generation of the grandmothers, in immaculately blued hair …John Updike
Tattoos blued his upper arms.Jerry Spinelli
b
: to heat (iron or steel) to about 550 to 600°F (288 to 316°C) so that it acquires a bluish protective coating
the blued barrel of the gun
Between banks shrouded with snow, the river gleamed darkly, like blued steel with gold chips of sunlight dancing on each riffle.Pete Bodo

intransitive verb

: to turn blue
their blueing fingers
Phrases
blue in the face
: extremely exasperated
argued until he was blue in the face
out of the blue
: without advance notice : unexpectedly
the job offer came out of the blue
blue the air
informal
: to curse angrily
He sliced the air with his fists and blued the air with his mouth.Steve Kelley
I have been stealing my father's copy (of Massachusetts Wildlife) for a long time, but last week he found an issue on my desk and blued the air a bit.Stephen King Donovan

Examples of blue in a Sentence

Adjective was shocked at the blue banter on that satellite-radio talk show a cold, dreary day always leaves me blue Noun Her favorite color is blue. a mixture of blues and greens They sailed off into the blue.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The dresses are white and adorned with vivid blue and teal flowers along with mint green stems that create a gorgeous floral pattern all around. Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2024 The famous pink axolotls, as well as other color variants such as white, blue, yellow and black, are genetic anomalies that are rare in the wild but selectively bred for in the pet trade. Kate Golembiewski, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Officers responded to the area and stopped a blue pickup. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 The flag features a blue background, with 13 stars surrounding a fasces, a bundle of wooden rods and an axe wrapped in leather, with red and white stripes. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024 The administration has sent out warning letters when dye usages were not disclosed – like when yellow 6 in dehydrated papaya or blue 1 in noodle products were undeclared. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 According to Irish Central, the concept of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day was likely created by Americans because the actual color associated with Saint Patrick is blue. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Mar. 2024 Peterson, 51, appeared remotely from Ione, California's Mule Creek State Prison wearing a blue button-down shirt and asked the court for permission to appear remotely in future proceedings. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024 Not only are there a variety of floral patterns, but the dress also comes in solid shades like black, lavender, light blue, and more. Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Centered at Plaza de César Chávez, the festival will feature more than 80 artists representing jazz, R&B, Latin jazz, salsa, soul, funk, bossa nova, blues and other musical styles/genres. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 There is no plot, no set, only dramatic lighting by Brandon Stirling Baker and simple costumes by Zac Posen in a palette of blues and grays, with the exception of a glamorous red dress for Mira Nadon. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 These long, meandering stretches of stark white sand set the scene for dreamy color palettes of crystalline blues, jungle greens, and earthy clay and wood. Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024 The Power of the Heart also sports contributions from Rosanne Cash, Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the Afghan Whigs, 90-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush, Maxim Ludwig and Angel Olsen and Rickie Lee Jones, among others. Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 Mar. 2024 Aquamarine, March’s birthstone creates a calming effect reflective of oceanic blues and the peaceful feeling of the sea. Beth Bernstein, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 For the all-charcoal number, try Bottega’s oversized turtleneck and pleated pants set, paired with its classic Cassette bag in next season’s trending hue—icy blue. Megan O'Sullivan, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2024 In animation, the whooshing and whipping water that Katara bent was gorgeously, and unrealistically, a deep blue. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 In this new construction Tennessee home, designer Stephanie Sabbe built character in the guest room, outfitting it in a pair of contrasting, but complementary blues: Sherwin-Williams' Niebla Azul (SW-9137) on the walls and Sherwin-Williams' Blustery Sky (SW-9140) on the trim. Katherine Owen, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French blef, blew, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blāo blue; akin to Latin flavus yellow

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near blue

Cite this Entry

“Blue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blue

1 of 3 adjective
1
: of the color blue
2
: low in spirits : melancholy
blueness noun

blue

2 of 3 noun
1
: the color of the clear daytime sky or of the colors of light between green and violet
2
: blue clothing or cloth
3

blue

3 of 3 verb
blued; blueing or bluing
: to make or turn blue

Medical Definition

blue

1 of 2 adjective
bluer; bluest
: of the color blue

blue

2 of 2 noun
1
: a color whose hue is that of the clear sky or that of the portion of the color spectrum lying between green and violet
2
: a pigment or dye that colors blue see prussian blue

More from Merriam-Webster on blue

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