bluegrass

[ bloo-gras, -grahs ]

/ ˈbluˌgræs, -ˌgrɑs /

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noun

any grass of the genus Poa, as the Kentucky bluegrass, P. pratensis, having dense tufts of bluish-green blades and creeping rhizomes.

country music that is polyphonic in character and is played on unamplified stringed instruments, with emphasis especially on the solo banjo.

the Bluegrass. Bluegrass Region.

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Origin of bluegrass

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; blue + grass

Words nearby bluegrass

blue gas, blue giant, bluegill, blue goose, blue grama, bluegrass, Bluegrass Region, Bluegrass State, blue-green, blue-green alga, blue-green algae

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bluegrass in a sentence

Dozens of musicians passed through the outfit, and its repertoire embraced the music of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Gordon Lightfoot, greatly broadening the audience for bluegrass.
Bill Emerson, acclaimed banjoist who founded two premier bluegrass bands, dies at 83|Terence McArdle|August 31, 2021|Washington Post
In live performance, the group reverted to the style of the earliest bluegrass bands by having the entire group gather around one microphone for their vocals and solos.
Bill Emerson, acclaimed banjoist who founded two premier bluegrass bands, dies at 83|Terence McArdle|August 31, 2021|Washington Post
In bluegrass parlance, he often sang “high baritone” and “low tenor,” the middle harmony parts.
Bill Emerson, acclaimed banjoist who founded two premier bluegrass bands, dies at 83|Terence McArdle|August 31, 2021|Washington Post
I’ve been going to local outdoor concerts and swing dancing to bluegrass and folk, and while I don’t know many of the songs, the feeling they capture is all I need from my summer of music.
What’s the Song of the Summer for 2021? Here Are Our Predictions|Kat Moon|June 23, 2021|Time

You’ll also find family-friendly events like live bluegrass and clogging at the Pollock Dining Room, plus the Mountain Taproom.
The Ultimate Shenandoah National Park Travel Guide|Graham Averill|October 7, 2020|Outside Online
The law has been on the books in the Bluegrass State for a long time.
How the Constitution May Screw Rand Paul for 2016|Michael Tomasky|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Bluegrass State is eager to grow hemp for the purposes of research and commerce.
Kentucky Tells Feds: Hands Off Our Hemp!|Abby Haglage|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The race was called minutes after polls closed in the Bluegrass State.
McConnell Easily Wins GOP Kentucky Senate Primary|Ben Jacobs|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bluegrass Tea Partiers will need major reinforcements to even have a hope of defeating the veteran senator.
Mitch McConnell Is Now Tea Party Enemy No. 1|Patricia Murphy|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Scotts Miracle Gro made a pest resistant Kentucky bluegrass in 2011 using the same technology.
Plants That Glow in the Dark Spark Heated Debate|Josh Dzieza|August 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He looked like a mountaineer and could hardly be expected to measure up to the bluegrass requirements of courtesy.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
Now, he had come down here to the cultured bluegrass, and was being pointed out as something of a hero.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
In his mountains such an association would have been tantamount to an engagement, but here in the bluegrass it was different.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
Over this land was brooding one of those days of rare charm that sometimes come to the bluegrass about the first of July.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
The militia officer from the bluegrass, who had come to act as umpire, masked his smile as he judged that contest.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for bluegrass

bluegrass

/ (ˈbluːˌɡrɑːs) /

noun

any of several North American bluish-green grasses of the genus Poa, esp P. pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), grown for forage

a type of folk music originating in Kentucky, characterized by a simple harmonized accompaniment

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

Cultural definitions for bluegrass

bluegrass

A kind of folk music for guitar, banjo, violin, other stringed instruments, and voice; bluegrass is distinguished by rapid notes and improvisation by the musicians.