popular music

British

noun

music having wide appeal, esp characterized by lightly romantic or sentimental melodies See also pop 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

With “Where the Music Had to Go,” Windolf carefully traces the contours of a revolution that transformed popular music into art.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

The creators of some of the most transcendent and popular music ever made have largely fallen off the charts — or simply fallen.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

In the world of popular music, especially jazz, the 1930s stand out for their creativity and sophistication, as well as the sheer number of iconic performers and classic tunes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

A guitarist, composer and bandleader who died on Saturday, Taylor's six-decade career played a key role in shaping modern popular music in West Africa.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

The sound world of Les Noces is, quite simply, the most imitated of all twentieth-century combinations outside the fields of jazz and popular music.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023