country music

American

noun

a style and genre of largely string-accompanied American popular music having roots in the folk music of the Southeast and cowboy music of the West, usually vocalized, generally simple in form and harmony, and typified by romantic or melancholy ballads accompanied by acoustic or electric guitar, banjo, violin, and harmonica.

country music British

noun

Sometimes shortened to: country. a type of 20th-century popular music based on White folk music of the southeastern US

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of country music

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

country music

Usually, though, he cranks up country music to “just disconnect for a little bit.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Defender Burn said that captain Kane, who scored twice in England's 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening World Cup match, is a "big country music fan".

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

The country music star filed for divorce from his wife in Tennessee’s Williamson County on May 18, according to court documents obtained by People — TMZ broke the news.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

The country music superstar won’t rule out building another Dollywood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

So, homecoming sucks and country music is just embarrassing, but I’m in love with the hay.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023