What does "blues" mean?
plural of blue
Blues
/bluːz/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: plural of blue
- Grammar: blues is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: alba, anthem, art song, aubade.
- Useful contrasts: classical music, happiness, joy.
- Usage evidence: There go the twelve bars blues.
How to use "blues"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blues" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blues" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blues" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blues" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "blues" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "alba" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "blues", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 plural of blue form-of, plural
- 2 A feeling of sadness or depression. countable, informal, plural-normally, uncountable
"I've got the blues today."
- 3 a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes wordnet
- 4 A feeling of sadness or depression.; One's particular life experience, particularly including the hardships one has faced. countable, in-plural, informal, plural-normally, singular, uncountable
"Your blues is just like mine."
- 5 a state of depression wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A feeling of sadness or depression.; The negative emotional state produced by a particular action, occupation, experience, or idea. countable, in-plural, informal, plural-normally, singular, uncountable
"I've got the lonely man's blues."
- 7 A musical form, of African-American origin, generally featuring an eight-bar or twelve-bar blues structure and using the blues scale. countable, uncountable
"Many great blues musicians came from the Mississippi Delta region."
- 8 A musical form, of African-American origin, generally featuring an eight-bar or twelve-bar blues structure and using the blues scale.; A musical composition following blues forms. countable, singular, uncountable
"My next number is a blues in G."
- 9 A uniform made principally of a blue fabric, and especially a full dress uniform thus colored. countable, uncountable
"They marched in their dress blues."
- 10 Any of various blue pills sold on the street, mimicking the appearance of prescription pain killer tablets. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 third-person singular simple present indicative of blue form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Proper Noun
- 1 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; The chariot-racing faction of the Roman circus and Constantinopolitan hippodrome that wore blue. historical, informal
"'Constantinople adopted the follies, though not the virtues of ancient Rome,' wrote Edward Gibbon, 'and the same factions which had agitated the circus raged with redoubled fury in the Hippodrome.' Gibbon's judgment was that what produced the 'redoubled fury' in the Hippodrome was senseless hooliganism, and even though the Blues and Greens could be politicized upon occasion, they had no coherent aims, religious or political. Gibbon's successors had alternative suggestions, the most persistent of which has been that the Blues were supporters of religious orthodoxy and the Greens of Monophysitism."
- 2 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; Carlton Football Club. informal
- 3 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; New South Wales. informal
- 4 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; Birmingham City FC. informal
- 5 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; Everton FC. informal
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; Chelsea FC. informal
- 7 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:; Manchester City FC. informal
Example
"There go the twelve bars blues."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blues"?
Common synonyms include: alba, anthem, art song, aubade, ballad, ballade.
How do you use "blues" in a sentence?
There go the twelve bars blues.
How do you pronounce "blues"?
Pronounced /bluːz/.
Etymology
In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin venetī (“Sea-Blues”) or factio veneta (“the sea-blue faction”) and Byzantine Greek Βένετοι (Bénetoi, “Blues”).