Blue Nile

American

noun

a river in E Africa, flowing NNW from Lake Tana in Ethiopia into the Nile at Khartoum: a tributary of the Nile. About 950 miles (1,530 km) long.

Blue Nile British

noun

a river in E Africa, rising in central Ethiopia as the Abbai and flowing southeast, then northwest to join the White Nile. Length: about 1530 km (950 miles)

"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

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:

Blue Nile

It has spread to southeastern Blue Nile state, bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan, raising fears of a prolonged and fragmented conflict.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Near her office, a towering figure of the Nubian god Apedemak stands guard next to the Blue Nile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

But for the engineer, Mr Moges, the power generated on the Blue Nile will eventually make a difference.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025

The team investigated the Shinfa-Metema 1 site in the lowlands of present-day northwestern Ethiopia along the Shinfa River, a tributary of the Blue Nile River.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024

After a time it was reported that he had died of starvation at Rufaa on the Blue Nile, and this information greatly relieved the Khalifa's mind.

From Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892 by Wingate, F. R.

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