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
W. M. Thackeray6
: puritanical
… a blue Sunday city …—James Street
James Street8
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
Hendrik Hertzberg
bluely
adverb
blueness
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
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
John Lewis7
: 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
Stephen Hawking
blued; blueing or bluing; blues
: 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
John UpdikeTattoos blued his upper arms.—Jerry Spinelli
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
Pete Bodo
: to turn blue
their blueing fingers
Phrases
blue in the face
: extremely exasperated
argued until he was blue in the face
: without advance notice : unexpectedly
the job offer came out of the blue
informal
: to curse angrily
He sliced the air with his fists and blued the air with his mouth.—Steve Kelley
Steve KelleyI 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
Stephen King DonovanSynonyms
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 WebHeshel Rolnick, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
This side of blue is energetic, fun, and especially captivating when used with a lacquer finish.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Choose between classic fall and winter shades like brown antelope and red, neutral shades like black, cream, navy and gray, and vibrant options like baby pink and bright blue.
—Kelsey Fredricks, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blue 
Adjective
There was a wild cheetah-print in dazzling gold; muted suedes in blue and brown; and a snakeskin green that called to me like the apple did Eve.
—Heshel Rolnick, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
This side of blue is energetic, fun, and especially captivating when used with a lacquer finish.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
Noun
The color palette was equally diverse, ranging from black and white, as well as vibrant pinks, reds, blues, and yellows.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Choose between classic fall and winter shades like brown antelope and red, neutral shades like black, cream, navy and gray, and vibrant options like baby pink and bright blue.
—Kelsey Fredricks, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blue
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.
Dictionary Entries Near blue
Cite this Entry
“Blue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blue
1 of 3 adjective1
: of the color blue
2
: low in spirits : melancholy
3
: tending to support Democratic policies or candidates
blue states
blueness
noun
blue
2 of 3 noun1
: the color of the clear daytime sky or of the colors of light between green and violet
2
: blue clothing or cloth
3
a
b
blue
3 of 3 verb
blued; blueing or bluing
: to make or turn blue
Medical Definition
blue
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
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