theme

American  

[theem] / θim /

noun

themes plural

1. a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic.

   The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting.

   Synonyms:

   text, thesis

2. a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.

3. a short, informal essay, especially a school composition.

   Synonyms:

   paper

4. Music.

   1. a principal melodic subject in a musical composition.

   2. a short melodic subject from which variations are developed.

5. 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.

6. Linguistics. topic.

7. Also an administrative division of the Byzantine Empire.

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adjective

1. having a unifying theme.

   a theme restaurant decorated like a spaceship.

verb (used with object)

themed, theming

1. to provide with a theme.

theme British  

/ θiːm /

noun

1. an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc

2. (in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work

3. music a group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a composition

4. a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student

5. 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

6. grammar another word for root 1 stem 1

7. (in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander

8. (modifier) planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etc

   a theme holiday

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verb

1. (tr) to design, decorate, arrange, etc, in accordance with a theme

theme Cultural  

1. A central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art: “The theme of desperation is found throughout his novels.” Also a short composition assigned to a student as a writing exercise.

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Synonym Usage

See subject.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtheme
  noun
• themeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• themes
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theme themes themed theming

This theme continues in the bathrooms, which are all different colors, including yellow and blue.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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

Among her most beloved songs are the Bond theme Nobody Does It Better and Legend In Your Own Time, a withering portrait of an arrogant man.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

So I am a bit bewildered as pundits declare that the success of “The Odyssey” reflects some larger theme about what film audiences want.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Yet,” said Mr. Pumblechook, leading the company gently back to the theme from which they had strayed, “Pork—regarded as biled—is rich, too; ain’t it?”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

These explored difficult aspects of American history — including slavery and Jim Crow — but also touched on more personal themes of family, memory, magic and spirituality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Elevated oil prices and Middle East-related supply chain disruption are likely to be recurring themes in company commentary,” they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Friedkin’s movie shifted people’s perceptions about fear and played with longstanding ideas about the nuclear family and religious ideology, themes that were starting to be contested and debated as America moved further from ’50s-era sterility.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

"But at the same time, I had the sense that Christopher Nolan was trying to pack everything in while missing themes that were essential to the poem."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Or is there a kind of cosmic fugue, with themes and counterpoints, dissonances and harmonies, a billion different voices playing the life music of the Galaxy?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

In May, the group sang songs and performed anti-AI themed street theater outside of the Oakland federal courthouse during the high-profile Musk-Altman trial.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Among the parents backing the move is Kelly Wall, who feels the school's late openings so far - combined with red, white and blue themed non-uniform days - have benefitted her two young children.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

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

That month the Nazi Party staged its seventh annual rally at Nuremberg, themed, with staggering irony, the Rally for Freedom.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

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

Related Words

• argument
• line
• matter
• motif
• point
• problem
• question
• stuff
• subject
• text
• thought
• topic