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

Appropriately set to The Golden Girls theme song, the golden hour image captured the Trainwreck actress standing in the middle of a group of five women and beaming at the camera. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 Aug. 2026

In addition to writing and acting on the series, Oddie wrote all the music including co-penning the show’s theme song. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 27 July 2026

Before every game, Xavi calls his mum and listens to the theme song from Nolan’s 2014 Oscar-winning film Interstellar, which was composed by Hans Zimmer. — Jay Harris, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Viewers were then taken outside the theater at street level to see Benny come by to sniff the globe as the show’s theme song played in the background. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 19 July 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