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rhythm and blues

[ rith-uhmuhn blooz ]
/ ˈrɪð əm ən ˈbluz /
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noun
a folk-based but urbanized form of Black popular music that is marked by strong, repetitious rhythms and simple melodies and was developed, in a commercialized form, into rock-'n'-roll.
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Also rhythm-and-blues .

Origin of rhythm and blues

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rhythm and blues in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhythm and blues

rhythm and blues

noun
(functioning as singular) any of various kinds of popular music derived from or influenced by the bluesAbbreviation: R & B
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
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