earworm

¹

[eer-wurm]

noun

1. a tune or part of a song that repeats in one’s mind.

verb (used with object)

1. to work (itself or its way) into a person’s mind.

   The Pepsi jingles have earwormed their way into my head.

earworm

²

[eer-wurm]

noun

1. corn earworm.

earworm

/ ˈɪəˌwɜːm /

noun

1. informal,  an irritatingly catchy tune

Word History and Origins

Origin of earworm¹

First recorded in 1980–85; loan translation of German Ohrwurm “catchy tune, earwig”

Origin of earworm²

First recorded in 1880–85; ear ² ( def. ) + worm ( def. ) (in the sense “small creeping animal”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of earworm¹

C20: from German Ohrwurm earwig

Example Sentences

Because the song was Where Is My Husband!, a blistering pop-funk throwback that became an instant earworm.

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But is this theatrical release really gonna be golden, to paraphrase one of the musical’s most infectious earworms?

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But by Monday, the children’s song—a frequent earworm—was no more.

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With party hits like the earworm “Musty” and “Nun Major’s” subtle flex, they helped popularize a new spin of West Coast rap with danceable trap beats.

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Nonetheless, he created earworms like the horn-powered “hello!” and the hypnotic “forever&more,” which individually have around 50 million Spotify streams.

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