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
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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:
But the theme park had a history of failing to meet financial expectations, a reason why Marriott soon opted to sell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
Questions over whether the UK should apologise and pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade were a theme of the visit.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Bill Conti -- who composed the "Gonna Fly Now" theme of "Rocky," a track instantly recognizable for its triumphant brass swells -- it's "a story about a story."
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The hand-drawn theme pays off even more in the current environment, Lieberman suggested.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
I had my room arranged just so, and the instrument did not fit in with my nautical theme.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Laura Miller makes the case that Edgar Allan Poe—whose work deliberately eschews many of the essential themes of American literature—is actually the most influential American writer of them all.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
The team highlighted a mix of Iran risks, inflation, the development of credit issues and peaking artificial-intelligence capital expenditure as themes the markets must negotiate.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Elliott’s quarterly letters are known for their doom-and-gloom commentary on the dominant themes of the day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The pair, infatuated with Kraftwerk, Afro-futurism and acid-fried psych rock, retrofitted Detroit funk in the post-disco era with rigorous synthesizers and science-fiction themes on tracks like 1981’s “Alleys of Your Mind.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
He is always making mix tapes for my sister with very specific themes.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Theater operators have seen brisk sales of snacks, popcorn, and limited-edition movie themed merchandise.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Other events include a USC panel celebrating makeup and special effects artists that took place Tuesday and, still to come, a ’70s themed game night at members club SoHo Warehouse on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The network said it wanted to support plans which helped local communities celebrate red squirrels and reconnect with nature, such as themed walks or improving spaces linked to conservation.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Her instantly recognizable flower paintings, desert landscapes, bleached bones and abstractions have won her dozens of museum retrospectives or themed solo exhibitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Everything—the lamps, the entertainment center, the picture frames—was island themed.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
He was looking for a mix of food, entertainment and theming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025
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
The pangrams from yesterday’s Spelling Bee were nighttime and theming.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
The new features include upgraded theming options and privacy features, new language controls, and, of course, plenty of back-end updates.
From The Verge ● Feb. 10, 2022
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