theme

noun \ ˈthēm \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: theme in a Sentence

Definition of theme

1 a : a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation

guilt and punishment is the theme of the story

b : a specific and distinctive quality, characteristic, or concern

the campaign has lacked a theme

2 : a melodic subject of a musical composition or movement

3 : a written exercise : composition

a research theme

4 : stem 4

—

themed

play \ˈthēmd\ adjective

See theme defined for English-language learners

See theme defined for kids

Examples of theme in a Sentence

If one theme unites his scholarship it is that the Old South cannot be viewed as a monolith. —Eric Foner, New York Times Book Review, 8 Apr. 2007
One reiterated theme of his book is that the electoral process can be the most dangerous of delusions, tending to confer a spurious legitimacy on those most willing to corrupt it. —Hilary Mantel, New York Review, 21 Sept. 2006
The Eve of biblical legend was a temptress, thus initiating a lamentable theme in the history of sexism. —Stephen Jay Gould, Discover, July 1992
The quest for power is the underlying theme of the film.
A constant theme in his novels is religion.
The playwright skillfully brings together various themes.
The album focuses on themes of love and loss.
Adventures are popular themes in children's books.
The growing deficit was a dominant theme in the election.
The party had a Hawaiian luau theme.
They played the theme from the movie “Rocky.”

Recent Examples of theme from the Web

The study come just days before Colombia holds presidential elections on Sunday, where the issue of Venezuela has been one of the dominant themes.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Almost 1 million people moved from Venezuela to Colombia in just two years, study shows," 13 June 2018
Like each of the themes that Phillips examines, the struggles echo through the decades, never resolved, always recurring.

— joan gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, "'A View of the Empire at Sunset' uses author Jean Rhys to explore 'otherness'," 13 June 2018
Not surprisingly, disruption is emerging as one of the most prominent themes at the London gathering.

— kristen bellstrom, Fortune, "Bozoma Saint John, Glenn Thrush, MPW London: Broadsheet June 12," 12 June 2018
One of the common themes in the educational materials is that American, Christian and European cultures are good for the world.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Slaves, Dinosaurs and White Jesus, Oh My! How Taxpayers Fund Crazy Christian Conservative Education," 12 June 2018
Below are just a few of the themes that emerged in the Twitter discussion: 1.

— korin miller, SELF, "9 Things People With Depression Wish You Knew About Living With the Condition," 11 June 2018
From the tumult, fragments of the two main themes emerge and are propelled out of the swells like ships tossed on waves.

— jessica rudman, courant.com, "HSO Wraps Up Masterworks Season With Impressive Collaboratin," 9 June 2018
Far-right groups dominated online discussion of those themes during the strike, according to an analysis by a data lab run by Fabio Malini, a scholar of internet culture at the Federal University of Espírito Santo.

— The Economist, "How a strike by lorry drivers will shape Brazil’s elections," 9 June 2018
One of the themes of these NBA Finals has been that LeBron James hasn’t gotten enough help from his teammates.

— langston wertz jr., charlotteobserver, "Social media reacts to Kevin Durant, Warriors going up 3-0 over Cavs in NBA Finals," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'theme.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of theme

Middle English teme, theme, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin thema, from Greek, literally, something laid down, from tithenai to place — more at do

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

theme Synonyms

THEME Defined for English Language Learners

theme

noun

Definition of theme for English Language Learners

: the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc.
: a particular subject or issue that is discussed often or repeatedly
: the particular subject or idea on which the style of something (such as a party or room) is based