theme song
Americannoun
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theme songs
plural
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a melody in an operetta or musical comedy so emphasized by repetition as to dominate the presentation.
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a melody identifying or identified with a radio or television program, dance band, etc., usually played at the beginning of each program.
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an expression, comment, or subject of conversation that a person or group uses habitually.
noun
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a melody used, esp in a film score, to set a mood, introduce a character, etc
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another term for signature tune
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of theme song
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30
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 1980, Dolly Parton was filming her first Hollywood movie, 9 To 5, and between scenes she had an idea for the tune that would become the movie's theme song.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
She wrote and sang the movie’s theme song, which topped Billboard’s pop and country charts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
In 1977 she sang "Nobody Does it Better," the popular James Bond theme song from "The Spy Who Loved Me."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
They included bricks that would play snatches of the iconic theme song and emit coin-collecting sound effects as Mario characters moved around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
“However, Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, I’m afraid your son Kyle does not enjoy the theme song from Rocky quite as much as I do!”
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
