{
    "term": "theme",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the subject or main idea in a talk, piece of writing or work of art",
            "sensetop": "theme of something",
            "labels": "(US English)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the **central/main/key/major theme**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Births are a **recurring theme** in Leigh's work."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Hot temperatures were a **common theme** over the past couple of weeks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The stories are all **variations on the theme** of unhappy marriage.",
                    "contextForm": "theme of something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "North American literature is the main theme of this year's festival."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The President stressed a favourite campaign theme—greater emphasis on education."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The naked male figure was always the central theme of Greek art."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Through sculptures Chen explored themes of illness, exile and cultural difference."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He gave a talk on the theme of teenage unemployment."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His later novels develop the theme of alienation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Several familiar themes emerged from the discussion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The same themes run through all her novels."
                },
                {
                    "text": "universal themes of love and loneliness"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The play touches on universal themes of loss and grief."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Literature and writing"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["basic", "central", "dominant"],
                "verb + theme": ["address", "continue", "develop"],
                "theme + verb": ["emerge", "run through something"],
                "theme + noun": ["music", "song", "tune"],
                "preposition": ["on the theme of"],
                "phrases": ["variations on a theme"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a short tune that is repeated or developed in a piece of music",
            "labels": "(music)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The trumpets' theme is then taken up by the rest of orchestra."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "music that is played at the beginning and end and/or is often repeated in a film, television programme, etc.",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the theme from ‘The Godfather’"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The film's haunting musical theme stayed in my head for days."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He wrote and sang the theme to the hit TV series, ‘Minder’."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His theme is played each time he appears on screen."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a short piece of writing on a particular subject, done for school",
            "labels": "(North American English, old-fashioned)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "the part of a sentence or clause that contains information that is not new to the reader or audience",
            "labels": "(linguistics)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/θiːm/",
                "audio": "th/theme/theme__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/θiːm/",
                "audio": "th/theme/theme__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: via Old French from Latin thema, from Greek, literally ‘proposition’; related to tithenai ‘to set or place’."
}