ditty
Americannoun
-
a poem intended to be sung.
-
a short, simple song.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
“How was your first day at country Coachella? They only call it Stagecoach because Count-chella doesn’t sound good,” the singer asked the crowd before the band launched into the “Shrek 2” ditty “Accidentally in Love.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
A dirty little truth about “feel-good” hits, down to the catchiest ditty, is that they’re rarely a band or an artist’s best work.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 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
I think his shortcoming increased his appreciation; he loved it all indiscriminately—Beethoven, the latest love ditty, jazz, a hymn—it was all profoundly musical to Phineas.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
None have measured up to their source material, although Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music in the 2024 prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King” contributed the best ditties to the studio’s songbook in decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The second season of Nida Manzoor’s comedic masterpiece about an all-female Muslim punk band is a ride of emotional highlights and jaunty fast-n-loud ditties.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
West Seattle’s foremost purveyor of alt-country noir is back with another scintillating set of spaghetti western ditties marked by Amaker’s unmistakable baritone, which is equal parts folksy and sinister.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
Blake combined extremes: rambling incantations about European history alongside short ditties on the soul that any child can enjoy.
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
So to cheer myself I would often make up ditties.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
The Cardinals' Dizzy Dean promptly dittied: "Paul and Me and Parmelee," bragged that the three of them would win 60 games.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
