theme
Americannoun
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themes
plural
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a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic.
The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.
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a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.
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a short, informal essay, especially a school composition.
- Synonyms:
- paper
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Music.
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a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.
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a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.
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Grammar. the element common to all or most of the forms of an inflectional paradigm, often consisting of a root with certain formative elements or modifications.
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Linguistics. topic.
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Also an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.
adjective
verb (used with object)
noun
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an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc
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(in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work
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music a group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a composition
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a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student
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linguistics the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence history I do like, "history" is the theme of the sentence, even though it is the object of the verb
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(in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander
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(modifier) planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etc
a theme holiday
verb
Synonym Usage
See subject.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of theme
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English teme, theme (from Old French teme ), from Medieval Latin thema, Latin, from Greek théma “proposition, deposit,” akin to tithénai “to put, set down”
Explanation
A theme can be an underlying topic of a discussion or a recurring idea in an artistic work. Anxiety about getting married is a big theme in romantic comedies. From ancient Greek thema (via Latin and French) we get this word, whose many related uses all have to do with the idea of "the main subject of something." In music, it can be a recurring melody in a composition, or an entire song throughout a play or film (a theme song). It can also describe the decor of a setting: "The amusement park had a Wild West theme."
Vocabulary lists containing theme
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The onshoring story and the actual supply chain point in completely different directions, and most investors who piled into this theme in 2026 have not looked closely enough to notice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
"I think that if it was a generic theme, as many comedy shows are, even when they're pushing the boundaries, it would be different," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Disney reported better-than-expected profits Wednesday, citing a strong performance in its theme park business amid lingering worries about macroeconomic weakness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
For investors, this means companies exposed to the technology investment theme will remain vulnerable to geopolitical risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
No kind of crazy breakthroughs, just variations on a theme: pigs with brain maps that resemble St. Louis, my couple for Noelle joined by the sweeping bridge, a family of metropolises.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
After all, the two traditions share common qualities: a focus on improvisation; a practice of making complex and odd-metered rhythms sound easeful and organic; and the patience to let themes and forms unfold gradually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The concerns may differ from person to person, but many return to the same themes: uncertainty, exhaustion, relatives who have left the country and plans put on hold.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Investors understood these themes; some traded in and out of oil stocks, others invested in fertilizer companies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Both Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton stuck to familiar themes in their separate speeches to Latino leaders in downtown L.A. as they jockey for position in the California governor’s race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Look for songs with themes of friends, help, or general encouragement.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Local historical societies scheduled town square readings of the Declaration of Independence, hired bands to play patriotic tunes, organized parades and set up themed baking contests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
The prize: A red Coca-Cola themed scarf or baseball cap.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
These might include karaoke nights, themed bingo happy hours, and raves, often thrown with well-respected collectives.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
He said the couple had already got to know those involved in Gavin and Stacey themed tours around Barry - including Dave's Coaches.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Where most kids want themed birthday parties at chain restaurants, Bren always wants Abuela’s legendary arroz con polio and La Cocina’s famous homemade mint juice.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Iwekrs is more interested in showing us the race against time, especially for a park that deviated from the light theming and simple rides of amusement parks of the era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
After getting business interest approval - which lets an employee pursue other lines of work outside their job - she began "creating and theming party tents".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2024
Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based chain of big-box craft stores, is famous for its Christian theming.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2023
An actual rainbow arched over the park’s thunder-shower-soaked parking lot as the sun set, prompting several attendees to joke that Disney had outdone itself with Pride theming this year.
From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2022
So far, the dynamic color theming has been available mostly on Pixels, though Samsung and Xiaomi have recently introduced theming options as well.
From The Verge ● Feb. 10, 2022
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.
