theme

American  

[theem] / θim /

noun

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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Related Words

See subject.

Other Word Forms

• subtheme noun
• themeless adjective

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”

Example Sentences

Disney faces near-term headwinds, including a 14% stock drop this year, theme park attendance concerns, and increased competition.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

“There was this theme where all the guests kind played along like they were really coming to his mom’s house and it was so cool,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

A common theme in conversations around the conference was how quickly companies are rushing to adopt AI without putting proper security protocols in place.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

But investors who still want to get in on this theme at more reasonable valuation levels might consider shares of two smaller players whose multiples aren’t yet so frothy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 28, 2026

The next they called each other names, spewed out ugly lists of offenses on both sides, with the recurrent theme of Mami’s uncertain status as a common-law wife.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

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