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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.

Its most popular song, “Lowdown,” was a dance-club hit and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart before winning a Grammy for best R&B song.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

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

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

Megan Stielstra touches on this in her essay about “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the most popular song pitched to the co-editors.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025

It’s no surprise, then, that attendees rejoiced when they heard the Cult’s most popular song, “She Sells Sanctuary,” as well as others from the band.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2025

In this respect the 2 + 1 triplet has become as habitual to post-jazz popular song as the unwritten notes inegales were to the dance music of Lully and Rameau.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.