blue
the pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 450 and 500 nanometers.
something having a blue color: Place the blue next to the red.
a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol: Tomorrow the blues will play the browns.
(often initial capital letter) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself.: Compare gray1 (def. 13).
any of several blue-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
Printing. blueline.
the blue,
the sky.
the sea.
the remote distance: They've vanished into the blue somewhere.
of the color of blue: a blue tie.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Union army in the American Civil War.
(of the skin) discolored by cold, contusion, fear, or vascular collapse.
depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy: She felt blue about not being chosen for the team.
characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion: statutes that were blue and unrealistic.
marked by blasphemy: The air was blue with oaths.
(of an animal's pelage) grayish-blue.
indecent; somewhat obscene; risqué: a blue joke or film.
Politics.
relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Democratic Party in the United States; Democratic: The county effectively turned blue, with all 38 district judges elected being Democrats.: Compare red1 (def. 14).
British. politically conservative.
to make blue; dye a blue color.
to tinge with bluing: Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.
to become or turn blue.
Idioms about blue
blue in the face, exhausted and speechless, as from excessive anger, physical strain, etc.: I reminded him about it till I was blue in the face.
out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly: The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.
Origin of blue
1Other words for blue
| 1 | azure, cerulean, sapphire |
| 14 | despondent, unhappy, morose, doleful, dispirited, sad, glum, downcast |
| 15 | gloomy, dispiriting |
| 16 | righteous, puritanical, moralistic, strait-laced |
Opposites for blue
Other words from blue
- blue·ly, adverb
- blue·ness, noun
- half-blue, adjective
- un·blued, adjective
Words that may be confused with blue
- blew, blue
Words Nearby blue
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use blue in a sentence
Among only developed countries, blue states would be in the top five and red states would be in the top 10.
Trump says US Covid-19 deaths would be low if you excluded blue states. That’s wrong. | German Lopez | September 17, 2020 | VoxEven in a blue-leaning state like Minnesota, the best Democratic gerrymander likely secures five safe seats while the best Republican one secures six.
Meanwhile, the blue tilt of currently GOP-held Senate seats in Maine and North Carolina is putting Democratic control of the Senate into play for the first time since they lost it in the 2014 midterms.
Our Forecast: A Brewing Current Could Lift Biden … or Swamp Him | Nick Fouriezos | September 17, 2020 | OzyIf you take the blue states out, we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at.
Trump blames blue states for the coronavirus death toll — but most recent deaths have been in red states | Philip Bump | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostCosmetically, the watches come in gray, silver, gold, blue, and red metallic finishes.
Everything announced at Apple’s ‘Time Flies’ event today | rhhackettfortune | September 15, 2020 | Fortune
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTYeah, the “Giant man-puppy” that is Gronkowski won't hold a sexual candle to the blue-eyed dreamboat.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTGOP leaders refused; they saw that Duke was pulling blue-collar Democrats to the party.
It denotes the person that puts on the badge, puts on the blue uniform, and goes into the streets to put their life at risk.
They looked up into the blue sky as the helicopters flew over in a lost man formation.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos | Michael Daly | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn pursuing his alchemical researches, he discovered Prussian blue, and the animal oil which bears his name.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellMary is fair as the morning dew— Cheeks of roses and ribbons of blue!
His nose was hooked and rather large, his eyes were blue, bright as steel, and set a trifle wide.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniThe most promising of the methods which have been devised are cryoscopy, the methylene-blue test, and the phloridzin test.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddHe said no more in words, but his little blue eyes had an eloquence that left nothing to mere speech.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for blue (1 of 2)
/ (bluː) /
any of a group of colours, such as that of a clear unclouded sky, that have wavelengths in the range 490–445 nanometres. Blue is the complementary colour of yellow and with red and green forms a set of primary colours: Related adjective: cyanic
a dye or pigment of any of these colours
blue cloth or clothing: dressed in blue
a sportsperson who represents or has represented Oxford or Cambridge University and has the right to wear the university colour (dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge): an Oxford blue
the honour of so representing one's university
British an informal name for Tory
any of numerous small blue-winged butterflies of the genera Lampides, Polyommatus, etc: family Lycaenidae
archaic short for bluestocking
slang a policeman
archery a blue ring on a target, between the red and the black, scoring five points
a blue ball in snooker, etc
another name for blueing
Australian and NZ slang an argument or fight: he had a blue with a taxi driver
Also: bluey Australian and NZ slang a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
Australian and NZ informal a mistake; error
out of the blue apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly: the opportunity came out of the blue
into the blue into the unknown or the far distance
of the colour blue
(of the flesh) having a purple tinge, as from cold or contusion
depressed, moody, or unhappy
dismal or depressing: a blue day
indecent, titillating, or pornographic: blue films
bluish in colour or having parts or marks that are bluish: a blue fox; a blue whale
rare aristocratic; noble; patrician: a blue family See blue blood
US relating to, supporting, or representing the Democratic Party: Compare red 1 (def. 18)
to make, dye, or become blue
(tr) to treat (laundry) with blueing
(tr) slang to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander
Origin of blue
1- See also blues
Derived forms of blue
- bluely, adverb
- blueness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Blue (2 of 2)
Bluey
/ (bluː) /
Australian informal a nickname for a person with red hair
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with blue
In addition to the idioms beginning with blue
- blue funk, in a
- blue in the face
also see:
- between a rock and a hard place (devil and deep blue sea)
- black and blue
- bolt from the blue
- have the blues
- into thin air (the blue)
- like greased lightning (a blue streak)
- once in a blue moon
- out of a clear blue sky
- talk one's arm off (a blue streak
- until blue in the face)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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