country music

noun

: music derived from or imitating the folk style of the Southern U.S. or of the Western cowboy
especially : popular vocal music characterized by simple harmonies, accompaniment by stringed instruments (such as guitar, fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel), repeated choruses, and often narrative lyrics

called also country, country and western

Examples of country music in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Charley Pride, who died in 2020, was a Grammy-winning trailblazer and country music's first Black superstar. Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025 Gentry's lifelong friend Mac (Kristoffer Polaha), a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025 The same city that’s seen more chairs thrown off a bar rooftop by a country music star within the past two years than 10-win Vanderbilt seasons in more than a century? Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025 Cheen brought American blues, jazz and reggae to China, toured Jimmy Witherspoon and Helen Reddy through Asia and produced albums for the Chinese heavy metal band Tang Dynasty and LPs of Chinese country music. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for country music

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of country music was in 1942

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Country music.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/country%20music. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

country music

noun
: music coming from or imitating the folk style of the Southern U.S. or the Western cowboy

More from Merriam-Webster on country music

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