anthem

American  

[an-thuhm] / ˈæn θəm /

noun

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, ænˈθɛmɪk /

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

• anthemic adjective

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 ( antiphon ); spelling with h probably by association with hymn, with pronunciation then changed to reflect spelling

Example Sentences

Still, what moviegoers sometimes crave most is an old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing anthem.

From Los Angeles Times

The galvanizing anthem, written for the film by Stephen Schwartz, was a technical and emotional feat.

From Los Angeles Times

The other newly added song, “No Place Like Home,” empowers Erivo to turn Judy Garland’s famous line into a radicalized political anthem.

From Los Angeles Times

From the acapella national anthem to the supporters' songbook and the way the simmering atmosphere inspires players to scale new heights, these are occasions to stir the soul.

From BBC

On Saturday they adopted more of a horseshoe, with a capacity crowd of some 82,00 at Twickenham belting out a chorus of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' -- England's rugby anthem -- for good measure.

From Barron's

Related Words

• chant
• chorus
• hymn
• melody