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.
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.
holding or offering little hope; dismal; bleak.
a blue outlook.
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.
British. politically conservative.
to make blue; dye a blue color.
to tinge with bluing.
Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.
out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly.
The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.
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.
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
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
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
slang an argument or fight
he had a blue with a taxi driver
Also: bluey. slang a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
informal a mistake; error
apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly
the opportunity came out of 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 See blue blood
a blue family
relating to, supporting, or representing the Democratic Party Compare red 1
to make, dye, or become blue
(tr) to treat (laundry) with blueing
slang (tr) to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English blewe, from Anglo-French blew, bl(i)u, bl(i)ef “blue, livid, discolored,” Old French blo, blau ( French bleu ), from unattested Germanic blǣwaz; compare Old English blǣwen, contraction of blǣhǣwen “deep blue, perse,” Old Frisian blāw, Middle Dutch blā(u), Old High German blāo ( German blau ), Old Norse blār
Among other things, blue is a color and a dreary mood. If the blue sky and ocean have turned gray and stormy, you might be blue because your day at the beach is ruined. Whether it's a primary color or a saddened mood, blue is used often as an adjective for people and things. Blue is a mix of green and purple shades, and it's the favorite color of many. The color blue might bring thoughts of first-place blue ribbons or police officers in blue uniforms, and it colors many flags of the world. Blue is everywhere, but there isn't a lot of blue food unless it's colored with dye. Even blueberries are mostly purple.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Queen guitarist Brian May says he had a minor stroke ‘out of the blue’ and lost partial use of his arm.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024
Often referred to as 'Kerama blue', these waters provided an excellent opportunity for the researchers to test this new sampling technique.
From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024
They took the ribbons and bows from the Cadillac to place on their car and even gave the bride 'something blue' by turning their lights on for her arrival at the venue.
From BBC • May 22, 2022
It began: “I apologize for the ‘out of the blue’ correspondence.”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2021
If it weren't so, do you imagine for a moment your 'boys in blue' could keep order?
From The Patrician by Galsworthy, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
