country music

American  

noun

1. 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.

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country music British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: country.  a type of 20th-century popular music based on White folk music of the southeastern US

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Etymology

Origin of country music

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Facing obstacles – be they ragged clothes that triggered childhood bullying or high school classmates who ridiculed her for favoring country music over The Beatles – became a way of life for Dolly.

From Salon

Historically, country music’s purview has been broad and workaday, with songs that reflected the lives of their audience.

From The Wall Street Journal

For those looking for a bit of a country twang in their New Year’s Eve programming, CBS is hosting the ultimate country music party to celebrate the holiday.

From Los Angeles Times

Easily one of 2025’s best albums, “Whiskey Lies & Alibis” by William Beckmann, released in June, harkens back to the finest country music of the 1990s while keeping a boot planted firmly in the present.

From Salon

“It’s New York City nightlife meets country music. We do bottle service, we do sparklers, people are dancing on tables, but it’s country vocals over the beat,” Wagner said.

From The Wall Street Journal