theme
Americannoun
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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
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
On the theme of Caesar salad, Nigella Lawson’s controversial recipe — which was criticized by fans and culinary professionals more than a decade ago — has earned its redemption by being timely, useful and effortless.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Oliver started humming the Star Wars theme song.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Michael Kramer is the founder of Mott Capital Management and a long-only investor focused on macroeconomic themes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ondaatje, a Sri Lankan man living in Canada, makes multiculturalism and the history of exoticizing the desert key themes in “The English Patient.”
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
In the Philippines, jeepneys are old military jeeps covered with trinkets or decked out in different themes.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
The prize: A red Coca-Cola themed scarf or baseball cap.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
These might include karaoke nights, themed bingo happy hours, and raves, often thrown with well-respected collectives.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The show began with a rousing number featuring Yang and Rogers that was themed to one of the biggest TV shows of the past year, “Heated Rivalry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
The celebration includes themed drinks and a “dessert in the stars,” a concept JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon pitched to Elon Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
I don’t know what half this stuff is, but everything—and I mean everything—is Spirit of the Sea– themed.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Iwerks 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
"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
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
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.
