Star-Spangled Banner, The

American  

noun

1. Stars and Stripes.

2. (italics) the national anthem of the United States of America, based on a poem written by Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, and set by him to the melody of the English song To Anacreon in Heaven: officially adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1931.

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“The Star-Spangled Banner” Cultural  

1. The National Anthem of the United States. Francis Scott Key wrote the words during the War of 1812, when he saw the flag of the United States still flying over Fort McHenry, Maryland, after a night of attack by British troops. The tune is from a British popular song of the day. The first stanza is:

   Oh, say, can you see by the dawn's early light,

   What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

   Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,

   O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

   And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

   Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

   Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

   O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

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Example Sentences

In 1931, Congress passed a bill to make “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, because the singers in this situation were children, our officers were reasonable and allowed the children to finish their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner,” the statement said.

From Seattle Times

The statement also said, “Of course, because the singers in this situation were children, our officers were reasonable and allowed the children to finish their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. The congressional staff member who was accompanying the group knew the rules, yet lied to the officers multiple times about having permission from various offices. The staffer put both the choir and our officers, who were simply doing their jobs, in an awkward and embarrassing position.”

From Washington Times

Though an unabashedly episodic work, with passages evoking call-and-response jazz styles and a bravura cadenza that tweaks the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the concerto still has compositional sweep that carries into “Prayer,” the mellow, elegiac second section, with the violin playing over a chorale-like piano music, and a funky, wailing “Tribe” finale.

From New York Times

Mostly closed since 2004, the building at one time displayed the original Star-Spangled Banner, the first ladies’ gowns and space rockets.

From Washington Post