1
: of, relating to, or constituting the class of wage earners whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare white-collar
2
: having characteristics associated with blue-collar workers: such as
a
: having, showing, or appealing to unpretentious or unsophisticated tastes
… a new blue-collar serial … woven around a minor-league baseball team …—Steven Flax
b
: dependable and hard-working rather than showy or spectacular
a blue-collar athlete

Examples of blue-collar 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.
The profession initially had been a blue-collar job, and in its origins in the Northeast, going to the pub and drinking after a long day of work was customary. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 Casting Bill Burr — the stand-up, who in recent years has repeatedly gone viral for speaking hard truths right to people’s face with all the bluntness of his blue-collar Boston roots — was a whole other layer of wish fulfillment for Sorkin. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026 In the course of the story, Bud faces a complex moral struggle between his blue-collar roots and the seductive, corrupt power of money. — Michael Douglas, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 This will be an absolute jobs boom for middle America and for blue-collar America. — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blue-collar

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue-collar was in 1929

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blue-collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue-collar. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective
ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər
: of or relating to the class of workers whose duties require work clothes
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