rhythm and blues
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rhythm and blues
An Americanism dating back to 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Americans were settling down, ballrooms were fading, and audiences were turning to bebop, rhythm and blues, and singers such as Frank Sinatra.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
At Burgess’ height of popularity, country music had transitioned from the rambunctious sounds of a honky-tonk to being more influenced by rhythm and blues.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2025
He never learned to read or score music, but he had a strong ear for pop idioms, including country, jazz, and rhythm and blues.
From New York Times • May 1, 2024
A founding member of the Isley Brothers who helped perform such raw rhythm and blues classics as “Shout” and “Twist and Shout” and the funky hits “That Lady” and “It’s Your Thing.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023
Organizers invited an exhilarating mix of performers: there would be rock and roll, rhythm and blues, folk and country.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
