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Synonyms

popular song

American  

noun

  1. a song that is written to have an immediate and wide appeal and is usually popular for only a short time, but that sometimes is of a sufficiently high quality to become part of the permanent repertoire of popular music and jazz.

Etymology

Origin of popular song

First recorded in 1835–45

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.

In a twist worthy of the movie, Day hated “Que Sera, Sera,” finding it silly and embarrassing, but it became her most popular song, another indication of the mysterious durability of Hitchcock’s music.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Each country awards 12 points to its most popular song while the second choice gets 10, and the rest are scored from eight to one.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

The AI group's most popular song has been streamed more than three million times.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

His most popular song, “Qué Bendición,” tells tales of his trials and tribulations, and his mother’s blessing that follows him wherever he goes — although some songs sound haunting now, in light of Montana’s passing.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

A popular song across the country in the late 1950’s was Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons,” where he sang about a miner owing his soul to the company store.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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.