bluing

US: /ˈbluɪŋ/ ,(blo̅o̅′ing)

From the verb blue: (⇒ conjugate)

bluing is: ⓘ

v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

blu•ing or blue•ing /ˈbluɪŋ/   n. [uncountable]

1. Chemistry a substance, such as indigo, used to whiten clothes or give them a bluish tinge.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

blu•ing  (blo̅o̅′ing), n. [Chem.]

1. Chemistry a substance, as indigo, used to whiten clothes or give them a bluish tinge.

Also, blueing. 

• blue + -ing¹ 1660–70

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

blue /blu/   n., adj., blu•er, blu•est, v., blued, blu•ing or blue•ing. 
n. 

1. Physics [uncountable] the pure color of a clear sky;
   the primary color between green and violet.
2. [countable] something having a blue color.
3. the blue, [uncountable]
   • the sky:
     The plane shot off into the blue.
   • the sea:
     The boat sank into the deep blue.

adj. 

4. of the color blue:
   a beautiful blue sky.
5. sad or depressed in spirits:
   I'm feeling a little blue today, thinking about old friends.
6. [before a noun] holding or offering little hope;
   dismal;
   bleak:
   a blue outlook.
7. deriving from strict moral or religious observance;
   puritanical:
   [usually before a noun] Blue laws kept stores closed on Sundays.
8. indecent;
   off-color;
   obscene:
   a blue movie.

v. [~ + object]

9. to make (something) blue;
   dye (something) a blue color.

Idioms

10. Idioms blue in the face, at an extreme point of frustration, irritation, etc.:
    to argue till one is blue in the face.
11. Idioms out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly:
    Out of the blue, she inherited a fortune.

blue•ness, n. [uncountable] See blues.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

blue  (blo̅o̅), n., adj., blu•er, blu•est, v., blued, blu•ing or blue•ing. 
n. 

1. Physics 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 nm.
2. bluing.
3. something having a blue color:
   Place the blue next to the red.
4. a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol:
   Tomorrow the blues will play the browns.
5. American History (often cap.) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself. Cf. gray (def. 13).
6. bluestocking.
7. See blue ribbon (def. 1).
8. Insects any of several blue-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
9. Printing blueline.
10. the blue:
    • the sky.
    • the sea.
    • the remote distance:
      They've vanished into the blue somewhere.
11. Idioms out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly:
    The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.

adj. 

12. of the color of blue:
    a blue tie.
13. American History (cap.) of or pertaining to the Union army in the American Civil War.
14. (of the skin) discolored by cold, contusion, fear, or vascular collapse.
15. depressed in spirits;
    dejected;
    melancholy:
    She felt blue about not being chosen for the team.
16. holding or offering little hope;
    dismal;
    bleak:
    a blue outlook.
17. characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion:
    statutes that were blue and unrealistic.
18. marked by blasphemy:
    The air was blue with oaths.
19. Zoology (of an animal's pelage) grayish-blue.
20. indecent;
    somewhat obscene;
    risqué:
    a blue joke or film.
21. Idioms 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.

v.t. 

22. to make blue;
    dye a blue color.
23. to tinge with bluing:
    Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.

v.i. 

24. to become or turn blue.

• Gmc *blǣwaz; compare Old English blǣwen, contraction of blǣhǣwen deep blue, perse (see blae, hue), Old Frisian blāw, Middle Dutch blā(u), Old High German blāo (German blau), Old Norse blār
• Anglo-French blew, bl(i)u, bl(i)ef blue, livid, discolored, Old French blo, blau (French bleu)
• Middle English blewe 1250–1300

blue′ly, adv. 
blue′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. azure, cerulean, sapphire.
• 15. despondent, unhappy, morose, doleful, dispirited, sad, glum, downcast.
• 16. gloomy, dispiriting.
• 17. righteous, puritanical, moral, severe, prudish.

Antonyms

• 15. happy.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

blue / bluː/ noun

1. 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
2. a dye or pigment of any of these colours
3. blue cloth or clothing: dressed in blue
4. a person who represents or has represented Oxford or Cambridge University in a sport and has the right to wear the university colour (dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge)
5. 
   an informal name for Tory
6. any of numerous small blue-winged butterflies of the genera Lampides, Polyommatus, etc: family Lycaenidae
7. 
   short for bluestocking
8. a blue ring on a target, between the red and the black, scoring five points
9. an argument or fight: he had a blue with a taxi driver
10. Also: bluey a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
11. a mistake; error
12. out of the blue ⇒ apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly

adjective (bluer, bluest)

1. of the colour blue
2. (of the flesh) having a purple tinge, as from cold or contusion
3. depressed, moody, or unhappy
4. indecent, titillating, or pornographic: blue films
5. aristocratic; noble; patrician
   See blue blood

verb (blues, blueing, bluing, blued)

1. to make, dye, or become blue
2. (transitive) to treat (laundry) with blueing
3. (transitive) to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French bleu, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse blār, Old High German blāo, Middle Dutch blā; related to Latin flāvus yellow

ˈblueness noun