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:
Cybersecurity has also been a big theme, as frontier AI models have seen their capabilities quickly advance.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
What emerges as a theme is how one deals, as Mr. Murray has, with 50 years of fame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“We are clearly in a theme around concerns of an AI overextension,” Reid said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The company’s theme parks business, however, had a softer quarter, with executives predicting that those trends could last into the first half of next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Whether a piece of music is a march, a sonata, or a theme and variations, the composer is always free to experiment with the overall architecture of the piece.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
“This is one of the biggest themes in a generation,” said Jay Jacobs, U.S. head of equity ETFs at BlackRock, in a phone interview.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
Rallygoers want to hear favorite lines and familiar themes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
At the IMF meetings in Bangkok this week these themes came up again and again, including among those at the very top table.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
But as the movie awkwardly pivots to weighty themes like forgiveness, honor and grief, the initial sparks of subversiveness fizzle out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
These themes are often complete melodies with many phrases, but a single phrase can be taken from the melody and used as a motif.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
The two-story space will house multiple themed rooms, either for hanging out and hiding, or for potential events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 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
Another way of saying this is that they’ve found a new way to dress up “Survivor,” the original — and, heaven help us, still running — task-based themed elimination show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 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
"We have moved away from original plans in terms of the décor in the venue and are theming it more on classic movie horror characters," he told BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023
It’s counting on the uniqueness of the ride vehicle and its speed more than it is theming or even coaster design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
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
Image: Google Material You theming options are also coming to third-party app icons, which appeared in Android 13’s first developer preview in February.
From The Verge ● May 11, 2022
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
