songwriter
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of songwriter
Explanation
A musician who composes tunes and writes lyrics is a songwriter. Many famous musical performers, from Elvis Presley to Rihanna, have relied on songwriters to write their biggest hits. While composers write music and lyricists focus on just the words, songwriters do both. If you have a decent singing voice, play the guitar, and love coming up with your own lyrics and melodies, you should think about being a singer-songwriter. Or team up with another musician and write songs together, the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney did, sharing credit as songwriters for many of the Beatles' most famous songs.
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.
"As a songwriter, it's kind of like, is anyone going to even think I really wrote this?"
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
A poet before she was a songwriter, Parks has a knack for dropping you into stories that feel instantly familiar.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
In 1964 Berry Gordy, Motown’s founder, hired Moy as a singer and songwriter but asked her to focus on the latter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
The Mojave Experience is the brainchild of Patrick Brink, singer and songwriter for the band Volume, who was born and raised in Twentynine Palms.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Your songwriter has written the solo as it sounds on his keyboard, so you have a C part.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
