ditty
Americannoun
plural
ditties-
a poem intended to be sung.
-
a short, simple song.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of ditty
1250–1300; Middle English dite < Anglo-French, Old French dit ( i ) e poem, noun use of past participle of ditier to compose < Latin dictāre; see dictate
Explanation
A ditty is a little song or a simple tune. When you're babysitting, you might sing a soft ditty to help a child fall asleep. A ditty might be a simple nursery rhyme in song form, or even the theme song to your favorite TV show. Ditties are easy to learn, and fairly short and effortless to sing. The word comes from a French word, ditie, "composition, poem, or treatise," from the Latin root dictatum, "thing dictated."
Vocabulary lists containing ditty
"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Treasure Island
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A ditty anchoring one of Explosive Media’s most popular videos, “L.O.S.E.R.,” tops a Spotify playlist that it created.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
It has even inspired an options market ditty: When the VIX is high, it’s time to buy; when it’s low, it’s time to go.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
The 18th-century artwork, appropriately named “Purrquoise” by fans in an online poll, was shown dancing across images of other feline figures, to the nearly 20-year-old ditty “The Kitty Cat Dance.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025
Proof of musical life: There’s no banjo in sight, but Martin shows off his song-and-dance chops in Season 3’s “Death Rattle” musical by performing the tongue-twisting ditty “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2024
And he puckered his lips and began to whistle a happy little ditty, right there in the store.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
