anthem

American  

[an-thuhm] / ˈæn θəm /

noun

• anthems
  plural

1. a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism.

   the national anthem of Spain; our college anthem.

2. a piece of sacred vocal music, usually with words taken from the Scriptures.

3. a hymn sung alternately by different sections of a choir or congregation.

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verb (used with object)

1. to celebrate with or in an anthem.

anthem British  

/ ˈænθəm /

noun

1. a song of loyalty or devotion, as to a nation or college

   a national anthem

2. a musical composition for a choir, usually set to words from the Bible, sung as part of a church service

3. a religious chant sung antiphonally

4. a popular rock or pop song

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anthemic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anthems
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anthem

First recorded before 1000; Middle English antem, Old English antemn(e), antefne, from Late Latin antefana, antiphōna (feminine singular), from Greek antíphōna ( see antiphon); spelling with h probably by association with hymn, with pronunciation then changed to reflect spelling

Explanation

Rousing, reverential, sometimes even revolutionary, an anthem is a song that represents the ideals of a group of people. Anthem comes from Old English antefn. The original word meant a song sung antiphonally, or in turns by two groups of singers. Today, anthem has little to do with the way the vocals are arranged and more to do with the content of the message. When a group of people sing an anthem, whether it’s the national anthem, or the anthem of your third-grader’s beetle-collecting club, they express their devotion to a cause they identify with.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anthem anthems

But problems kept coming too, including organisers playing North Korea's national anthem for the South Korean hockey team.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Innocent Ways” wants to be a bass-quaking party anthem in the manner of something from Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica,” but it has no personality and comes off as stiff and formulaic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

On Sept. 23, the autumn equinox will arrive, officially bringing an end to the summer season and countless attempts at giving it an anthem.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

North Korea's national anthem, along with other symbols of the secretive state, are banned in South Korea.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

They cut to the anthem again, and the program ends.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

The noise built through the warm-ups, in the tunnel and during the anthems, until, finally, Haaland emerged into the blazing sunshine and took a long blue-eyed stare across the pitch at the five-time world champions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Following the anthems, the two teams did not line up for the traditional handshakes.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Take a bite out of history: In Part 2 of its series on McGruff the Crime Dog, Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast asks the question: Did a trench-coat-wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

He was booed by the crowd during the national anthems and again when he took the field with Infantino after the game for the awards ceremony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Argentine Naval Band played the British and Argentine national anthems with an accompaniment of barking, growling, snarling, and howling from the dogs as Endurance set sail on the next leg of the voyage.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• chant
• chorus
• hymn
• melody