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; dictate
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.
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 record opens with a spirited British vaudeville-esque rendition of an original ditty called “Everywhere it’s Christmas,” which informs the listener that “Everywhere it’s Christmas/at the end of every year.”
From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025
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
The campiness wasn’t completely over as he thrilled fans again with “Rope It,” a quirky, pop-country ditty where he gamely hip-swiveled and hat-tilted, channeling his inner Clint Black.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2025
The tune for this ditty was suspiciously like a tune from Pirates on Holiday, the nautical operetta whose first act Penelope and the children had witnessed while visiting London some months earlier.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
