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

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See Examples For:

country music

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced Friday plans to rename BNA in honor of Parton, following a growing public campaign that surged after the country music icon’s death.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

Parton, who died at 80 on Tuesday after a battle with cancer, was a titan in country music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Her outsized personality, warmth, compassion and charm made her more than a country music star.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

While country music and films brought her fame, her entrepreneurial zeal brought her fortune.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

And except for a song about bacon or eggs benedict thrown in here and there, they mostly played normal country music.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

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