theme song

noun

plural theme songs

1

: 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

2

: 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

Alex Hogan’s latest video (an excellent romp into the new semaglutide pills) sent me tumbling down a rabbit hole that ended with Monty Norman, the guy who composed the James Bond theme song. —O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026

Last year, the Pokémon Company released a similar statement when the DHS posted a video of ICE arrests to the tune of the original Pokémon theme song. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

And beef stew was like my theme song this winter. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026

The track interpolates Ennio Morricone’s theme song from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for theme song

• evensong
• livelong
• overlong
• vietcong
• agung
• along
• belong
• birdsong
• furlong
• headlong
• headstrong
• lifelong