plural melodies
1
: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
… whilst all the winds with melody are ringing.—
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe 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
The Verge reported this month that the technology has become ubiquitous in the country-music world, where Nashville pros are using it to flesh out demos and write melodies.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
Many of their melodies, Shakers said, were given to them by spirits.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
On the tune, written by Hilken’s band Fuzzy, the vocals are too cheery not to love, the melody too magic not to hum along with.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2025
This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melody
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Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
Many of their melodies, Shakers said, were given to them by spirits.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
On the tune, written by Hilken’s band Fuzzy, the vocals are too cheery not to love, the melody too magic not to hum along with.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2025
This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 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 Dec. 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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