plural melodies
1
: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
whilst all the winds with melody are ringing—
P. B. Shelley
P. B. Shelley2
: a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole
a hummable melody
the piper's fingers play the melody on a pipe called a chanter—Pat Cahill
Pat CahillExamples of melody in a Sentence
He wrote a piece that includes some beautiful melodies.
a composer known for his love of melody
He sang a few old melodies.
Recent Examples on the Web
So, in the space of nothing, Dan now has the title and the melody happening.
—Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
The background music, pleasantly tinkled nightly by a real person sitting at a real piano, mixes in pop melodies alongside the Broadway classics and jazz standards.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
The melody turned almost bouncy in the fourth and fifth lines of the verse — just enough to enhance the sing-along quality — then returned to a serious tone, setting up the impactful chorus.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 May 2025
The ensuing conflict between them takes an abrupt turn into a hotel-room two-hander as Anima fastens Abel to a bed and coerces him into confronting his feelings by playing his own music to him and dispensing shallow insights about how his songs’ upbeat melodies belie their cry-for-help content.
—Charles Bramesco, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for melody
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Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
The background music, pleasantly tinkled nightly by a real person sitting at a real piano, mixes in pop melodies alongside the Broadway classics and jazz standards.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
The melody turned almost bouncy in the fourth and fifth lines of the verse — just enough to enhance the sing-along quality — then returned to a serious tone, setting up the impactful chorus.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 May 2025
The ensuing conflict between them takes an abrupt turn into a hotel-room two-hander as Anima fastens Abel to a bed and coerces him into confronting his feelings by playing his own music to him and dispensing shallow insights about how his songs’ upbeat melodies belie their cry-for-help content.
—Charles Bramesco, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for melody
Cite this Entry
“Melody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melody. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
melody
noun
mel·o·dy
ˈmel-əd-ē 
plural melodies
1
: a pleasing succession of sounds
2
: a series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect
3
: the leading part in a musical composition involving harmony
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