theme song

noun

plural theme songs

: a song or melody strongly associated with someone or something

a famous performer's theme song

the theme song of a political campaign

often : an identifying melody or song typically played at the beginning of a movie, television show, etc., and sometimes recurring during its course

Some of these shows were truly unforgettable, with catchy theme songs that are instantly recognizable decades later. —

Grant Butler

: a statement, expression, or opinion repeatedly heard from someone

But literary history is also entangled with criticism. Inevitably so; let me revert unblushingly to my theme song: in order to appreciate a masterpiece, we must be acquainted with its language …—

Albert Guerard

Examples of theme song in a Sentence

He was playing the theme song from “The Godfather.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The theme song for the Netflix series Beyond Goodbye was released digitally Nov. 18 and debuted at No. 1 for downloads, No. 14 for streaming, No. 5 for radio, and No. 13 for video. —

Billboard Japan, Billboard, 27 Nov. 2024 The opening theme song—Que sera, sera—is performed by The Pixies. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 This is the first time Fallon brought the classroom instruments segment back since March 2024, when Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson performed the Ghostbusters theme song. —

Marina Watts, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024 Thankfully, the opening chords of the theme song sucked me right back into the moment. —

Lincee Ray, EW.com, 23 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for theme song