blue
the pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 450 and 500 nanometers.
something having a blue color: Place the blue next to the red.
a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol: Tomorrow the blues will play the browns.
(often initial capital letter) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself.: Compare gray1 (def. 13).
any of several blue-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
Printing. blueline.
the blue,
the sky.
the sea.
the remote distance: They've vanished into the blue somewhere.
of the color of blue: a blue tie.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Union army in the American Civil War.
(of the skin) discolored by cold, contusion, fear, or vascular collapse.
depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy: She felt blue about not being chosen for the team.
characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion: statutes that were blue and unrealistic.
marked by blasphemy: The air was blue with oaths.
(of an animal's pelage) grayish-blue.
indecent; somewhat obscene; risqué: a blue joke or film.
Politics.
relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Democratic Party in the United States; Democratic: The county effectively turned blue, with all 38 district judges elected being Democrats.: Compare red1 (def. 14).
British. politically conservative.
to make blue; dye a blue color.
to tinge with bluing: Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.
to become or turn blue.
Idioms about blue
blue in the face, exhausted and speechless, as from excessive anger, physical strain, etc.: I reminded him about it till I was blue in the face.
out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly: The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.
Origin of blue
1Other words for blue
1 | azure, cerulean, sapphire |
14 | despondent, unhappy, morose, doleful, dispirited, sad, glum, downcast |
15 | gloomy, dispiriting |
16 | righteous, puritanical, moralistic, strait-laced |
Opposites for blue
Other words from blue
- blue·ly, adverb
- blue·ness, noun
- half-blue, adjective
- un·blued, adjective
Words that may be confused with blue
- blew, blue
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use blue in a sentence
The peaked blue face was half hidden by a fell of iron-gray hair, and a grizzled beard hung over the breast.
The Mark Of Cain | Andrew LangThe mountains showed their grey heads; the blue face of ocean smiled.
He had done much to aid Marian and her friends in unravelling the mystery of the strange blue face.
The Purple Flame | Roy J. SnellAgain he laughed outright at the steel-blue face of the sky, then jumped in a flash from his seat to the throat of Bertran.
The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay | Maurice HewlettBefore these were reached the blue face of heaven was everywhere breaking through the mist-veil, and a fine day was assured.
Italian Alps | Douglas William Freshfield
British Dictionary definitions for blue (1 of 2)
/ (bluː) /
any of a group of colours, such as that of a clear unclouded sky, that have wavelengths in the range 490–445 nanometres. Blue is the complementary colour of yellow and with red and green forms a set of primary colours: Related adjective: cyanic
a dye or pigment of any of these colours
blue cloth or clothing: dressed in blue
a sportsperson who represents or has represented Oxford or Cambridge University and has the right to wear the university colour (dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge): an Oxford blue
the honour of so representing one's university
British an informal name for Tory
any of numerous small blue-winged butterflies of the genera Lampides, Polyommatus, etc: family Lycaenidae
archaic short for bluestocking
slang a policeman
archery a blue ring on a target, between the red and the black, scoring five points
a blue ball in snooker, etc
another name for blueing
Australian and NZ slang an argument or fight: he had a blue with a taxi driver
Also: bluey Australian and NZ slang a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
Australian and NZ informal a mistake; error
out of the blue apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly: the opportunity came out of the blue
into the blue into the unknown or the far distance
of the colour blue
(of the flesh) having a purple tinge, as from cold or contusion
depressed, moody, or unhappy
dismal or depressing: a blue day
indecent, titillating, or pornographic: blue films
bluish in colour or having parts or marks that are bluish: a blue fox; a blue whale
rare aristocratic; noble; patrician: a blue family See blue blood
US relating to, supporting, or representing the Democratic Party: Compare red 1 (def. 18)
to make, dye, or become blue
(tr) to treat (laundry) with blueing
(tr) slang to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander
Origin of blue
1- See also blues
Derived forms of blue
- bluely, adverb
- blueness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Blue (2 of 2)
Bluey
/ (bluː) /
Australian informal a nickname for a person with red hair
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with blue
In addition to the idioms beginning with blue
- blue funk, in a
- blue in the face
also see:
- between a rock and a hard place (devil and deep blue sea)
- black and blue
- bolt from the blue
- have the blues
- into thin air (the blue)
- like greased lightning (a blue streak)
- once in a blue moon
- out of a clear blue sky
- talk one's arm off (a blue streak
- until blue in the face)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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