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blue
[ bloo ]
noun
- 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.
Synonyms: , ,
- 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 gray 1( 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.
adjective
- 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.
Synonyms: , , , , , , ,
Antonyms:
a blue outlook.
Synonyms:
- characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion:
statutes that were blue and unrealistic.
Synonyms: , ,
- 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: Compare red 1( def 14 ).
The county effectively turned blue, with all 38 district judges elected being Democrats.
- British. politically conservative.
verb (used with object)
- to make blue; dye a blue color.
- to tinge with bluing:
Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.
verb (used without object)
- to become or turn blue.
Blue
1/ ː /
noun
- informal.a nickname for a person with red hair
blue
2/ ː /
noun
- 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 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
- 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
- slang.an argument or fight
he had a blue with a taxi driver
- slang.Alsobluey a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
- informal.a mistake; error
- out of the blueapparently from nowhere; unexpectedly
the opportunity came out of the blue
- into the blueinto the unknown or the far distance
adjective
- 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 See blue blood
a blue family
- relating to, supporting, or representing the Democratic Party Compare red 1
verb
- to make, dye, or become blue
- tr to treat (laundry) with blueing
- slang.tr to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander
Derived Forms
- ˈܱ, adverb
- ˈܱԱ, noun
Other 51Թ Forms
- ܱ· adverb
- ܱ·Ա noun
- half-blue adjective
- ܲ·ܱ adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of blue1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of blue1
Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
More idioms and phrases containing blue
- 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)
Example Sentences
The winger parked himself in front of the net and was shielding Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard when he reached out to redirect a pass from Anze Kopitar near the blue line.
The U.S. would fall deeper into a two-tier healthcare landscape, with conservative states cutting healthcare services and blue states trying to hold the line for their residents.
Authorities described the suspect as a heavyset man wearing a tie-dye sweatshirt and blue pants.
As a blue state with a massive immigrant population, California is a key player in the nation’s immigration showdown.
Manchester City reached their third consecutive FA Cup final by beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday, but the semi-final was played against a backdrop of thousands of empty seats in the blue half of Wembley.
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Related 51Թs
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.
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