themetheme /θiːm/ ●●● S2 W2 AWL noun [countable] 
The book’s theme is the conflict between love and duty.main/central/major etc theme Campbell has made health care a central theme in his campaign. Nature is a recurrent theme (=a theme that appears repeatedly) in Frost’s poetry. Most of Kurt’s other pictures were variations on the same theme.2 theme music/song/tune music or a song that is often played during a film or musical play, or at the beginning and end of a television or radio programme: the theme song from ‘The Brady Bunch’3repeated tune a short simple tune that is repeated and developed in a piece of music: Freia’s theme in Wagner’s opera4style a particular style: Her bedroom is decorated in a Victorian theme.5piece of writing American English old-fashioned a short piece of writing on a particular subject that you do for school SYN essaytheme on Your homework is to write a two-page theme on pollution.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe main/central/dominant theme· The main theme of the book is the importance of honesty.a major theme· Cultural change is the second major theme of his work.a common theme· Death and rebirth is a common theme in Eliot’s poetry.a recurrent/recurring theme (=one that appears several times)· Returning to traditional values was a major theme of the president’s speech.an underlying theme (=one that is important but not very noticeable)· One of the book’s underlying themes is the struggle for human rights.a universal theme (=subjects that affect people of all races and cultures)· Readers everywhere can relate to the universal themes in his work.phrasesvariations on a theme (=things with a similar basic subject, style etc)· Most of her short stories are variations on the theme of tragedy.
WORD ORIGINtheme
Origin:
1200-1300 Latin thema, from Greek, ‘something laid down, theme’, from tithenai ‘to put’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a two-page theme on pollution
- George Eliot shows real concern for religious and moral themes.
- I really like the theme song to the "Mary Tyler Moore Show."
- One of the themes of the book is the relationship between people and nature.
- The conference's theme is education and training.
- The master bedroom is decorated in a Victorian theme.
- The play's central theme is greed and its corrupting effects.
- And not only do the themes recur, but they overlap.
- But before I take up that theme let me try to get closer to the ground.
- She asks the host to describe the theme of the meeting and the desired length of the speech.
- Tartan patterns and plaids are applications of this theme.
- The first is the ability to communicate: to find a theme, to focus on an agenda.
- The supple interplay of major themes will furnish it with the exhilarating sense of a mind meticulous but free.
Longman Language Activatorsomething you talk about, write about etc
something that is talked about or written about, for example at a meeting, in an article, or in a conversation: · I read a lot of books about astronomy. It's a very interesting subject.· We talked about all sorts of subjects.· Bottle-collecting even has a website devoted to the subject. the subject of crime/politics/animal rights etc (=crime etc as a subject): · Until about 20 years ago, the subject of the environment was hardly discussed.on the subject (of something) (=about a particular subject): · The first book on the subject was published in 1900.· He has very little to say on the subject of the accusations made against him.change the subject (=start talking about something different): · I could see John was embarrassed, so I changed the subject.drop the subject (=to stop talking about something): · This is getting us nowhere. Let's just drop the subject, okay?
what is being talked about, or what a film, book, play etc is about: · There has been no attempt to arrange the books according to subject matter.· Sagan published a book relating to the subject matter in his TV show. · 'The People versus Larry Flynt' was given an '18' certificate because it contains adult subject matter.
a subject that people often discuss or write about, in books, newspapers, at school etc: · The rise of Islam is a popular topic these days.· Type the topic into the search field, and let the browser search all relevant sites.· Dole's absence was the topic of radio talk shows.
especially spoken something that people talk about or think about: · The first thing we have to discuss is the price.· The only thing she ever talks about is her boyfriend.· We talked about the old days and other things.
an important subject that people discuss and argue about: · We'll be looking at a broad range of important issues in this chapter.· Genetic manipulation is a fairly topical issue these days.· a book dealing with environmental issuesissue of: · the issue of drugs in sportsmajor/big/key/main issue (=a very important issue): · Global warming and youth crime are the key issues in the election campaign.
a difficult subject or problem that has often been discussed but still needs to be solved: · The real question here is how can we integrate asylum seekers into communities.· How can we best help less developed countries? That's the really important question.question of: · In the 1980s the question of whether photography was an art went to court.raise a question (=make people consider a problem): · These operations can save lives, but they raise difficult questions about animal rights.
a subject that people disagree about or are concerned about, and that needs to be considered and discussed in order to deal with it: · The matter is being argued and discussed in families up and down the country.· Foreign affairs were not the only matters we discussed.· This meeting is being held to deal with the serious matter of possible racism in our hiring practices.matter of: · The first item on the agenda today is the matter of public transportation.
an important idea that appears several times in a book, film etc, and slowly influences the way it develops: · One of the themes of the book is the relationship between people and nature.· George Eliot shows real concern for religious and moral themes. · The play's central theme is greed and its corrupting effects.
something that needs to be discussed at a business or political meeting: · Right, could we get started please? We've a lot of business to get through this morning.
British in a meeting, subjects that are not on the list of things to discuss, but that people may want to talk about: · Is there any other business before we close the meeting?
WORD SETSanimation, nounanimator, nounart director, nounart house, nounarts cinema, nounbiopic, nounblue movie, nounB-movie, nouncameo, nouncameraman, nouncartoon, nouncine-, adjectivecine-camera, nouncine-film, nouncinema, nouncinematic, adjectivecinematography, nounclip, nouncontinuity, nouncut, nouncutting room, noundirection, noundouble, noundouble bill, noundouble feature, nounepilogue, nounextra, nounfantasy, nounfarce, nounfeature, nounfeature film, nounfilm star, nounfilmstrip, nounflashback, nounflick, nounfootage, nounfreeze-frame, noungaffer, nounHollywood, home movie, nounhorror movie, nounimage, nounimagery, nounlip-synch, verblocation, nounlot, nounmatinée, nounmiscast, verbmotion picture, nounmovie, nounmoviegoer, nounmovie star, nounmovie theater, nounmoving picture, nounmultiplex, nounmusical, nounnarrator, nounnewsreel, nounoff-screen, adverbopening night, nounOscar, nounout-take, nounPG, nounpremiere, nounproject, verbprojection, nounprojectionist, nounprojector, nounprop, nounrating, nounreel, nounrelease, verbremake, nounremake, verbre-release, verbrerun, nounretake, nounrole, nounscreen, nounscreen, verbscreening, nounscreenplay, nounscreen test, nounscreenwriter, nounscriptwriter, nounset, nounshort, nounshot, nounshow, verbsilent, adjectiveslow motion, nounsoundtrack, nounspaghetti western, nounsplicer, nounsplit screen, nounstand-in, nounstill, nounstudio, nounstunt man, nounstunt woman, nountalkie, nountearjerker, nounTechnicolor, nountheatre, nountheme, noun3-D, adjectivetop-grossing, adjectivetrailer, nountravelogue, nounturkey, nounwestern, nounwhodunit, nounX, nounX-certificate, adjectiveX-rated, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives Love is a recurring theme in the book. Political revolution is a recurrent theme in Riley’s books. a new TV comedy dealing with topical issues Most of his poems are variations on the theme of love. The more she spoke, the more she warmed to her subject.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· The main theme of the book is the importance of honesty.
· Cultural change is the second major theme of his work.
· Death and rebirth is a common theme in Eliot’s poetry.
(=one that appears several times)· Returning to traditional values was a major theme of the president’s speech.
(=one that is important but not very noticeable)· One of the book’s underlying themes is the struggle for human rights.
(=subjects that affect people of all races and cultures)· Readers everywhere can relate to the universal themes in his work.
phrases (=things with a similar basic subject, style etc)· Most of her short stories are variations on the theme of tragedy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· What would you say is the central theme of the book?
Love is a recurring theme in the book. Political revolution is a recurrent theme in Riley’s books. a new TV comedy dealing with topical issues (=the tune at the beginning or end of a television programme etc)· the theme tune from the movie 'Titanic'
· Death and rebirth are underlying themes in all of his novels.
Most of his poems are variations on the theme of love. The more she spoke, the more she warmed to her subject.· Then he began hammering his fellow board members on two broader themes: water and housing.
· Ideas of childishness, linguistic degeneration, and confusion support the central theme of the degradation of essential ritual.· While the picture is richly designed and photographed, the film falters in dealing with its central theme.· A central theme in Bad Blood is places and spaces, and how we learn to shape ourselves around them.· New governors in three of our largest states-California, Florida, and Illinois-have made prevention a central theme of their administrations.· It is a central theme throughout the book, and she criticises frequently the Catholic beliefs and customs.· Their story echoes the central themes in Part 1 of this book:-Principles.· What has this to do with our central theme of locality?· A central theme in their experience was the dogged struggle with subordinates about their respective responsibilities.
· Ask one of the residents to devise the questions on perhaps a different theme each week.· Each floor had a different theme.· Now, some children are performing plays with very different themes.· Each rally has a different theme.· But today's rally in Stoneleigh in Warwickshire had a different theme.· Every year in August there is a Village Fayre down the main street, with a different theme each year.· Each one is beautifully illustrated with a different theme, capturing a variety of aspects of Britain at its best.
· The dominant theme of this literature was concern for the well-being of the peasantry.· Durkheim is perhaps the key protagonist of this dominant theme of profound social change.· Britain's poor economic performance has been the dominant theme of political debate and economic discourse since the 1950s.· However, for all dominant themes of harmony, within the noisy ambiguity there might also be quieter, discordant notes.· The dominant theme remains still-life and the prominence of lamps and the pools of light which they shed.· The desire for peace was the increasingly dominant and constant theme of popular opinion.· A dominant theme in these portrayals is criminality in East End communities: small-time crooks, petty crime and drinking clubs.
· Both of these have been familiar themes over the past decade and more.· That most men orient themselves more as subjects than as citizens is a familiar theme.· But the sociological studies in this work go widely into much broader aspects of the familiar themes of energy and transport.· Not knowing: This is a familiar theme.· Appointees interviewed repeated a familiar theme: They all loved their jobs but are beating a retreat without regret.
· Inventions - the discovery of new information about the production process - are a particular example of this general theme.· Placing the general theme in the center of the board, the class develops a list of subtopics that might be explored.· The general theme for all the festivals has been the country and the city.· Peters has augmented his books with countless articles, speeches, and seminars, all on the same general theme.· Broadsheets turned to long articles about general themes, campaign strategies and sophisticated analysis of opinion polls.· Those then are the general themes of Barbarossa as a legendary character.· Two or three of these general themes offered a focus for work on each of the units.· But some general themes can be extracted here.
· An important theme of empirical and theoretical work on contemporary social structure is that of social differentiation, and its spatial aspects.· Then the question of social purpose once again became a relevant and important theme for adult educators.· Changing the style and responsibilities of health service managers has been an important theme of Conservative health policy.· However, decentralization raises an important theme for the empirical processes to be outlined in the next three chapters.· This suggests an important theme which will be taken up in a later discussion of Paisley's leadership style.· This is not to say that differences between the legal and practical definitions should not be an important theme for analysis.· A second important theme in the evolving urban debate after 1979 is the issue of deregulation and decontrol.· The nature of these relationships will form an important fourth theme in the work.
· I shall build up to this point using a specific example which is the other main theme of this chapter.· The main theme is that the duties and responsibilities of each person in the organization are unambiguously defined.· The booklet was divided into the four main themes identified above.· One of the main themes of the subject in recent years has been corporatism - which particularly drew attention to group participation.· In many traditional catalogues, access will only be provided to two or three main themes.· It is remarkable how this interest extends even to topics which do not seem related to the main themes of his studies.· There are many continuing themes in this novel and in my opinion the main theme is that of contentment.· It is intended to convey an impression of the main themes at work. 1.
· A major theme in local government is to control the power of the professional.· Four major themes characterized its approach: 1.· They are based on a regular series of expert conferences, each on a major theme of policy.· Crime and the State A second major theme is the effectiveness of the state in preventing and punishing crime.· What the book does attempt to do is to provide a framework of problems and ideas, exploring major themes.· The supple interplay of major themes will furnish it with the exhilarating sense of a mind meticulous but free.· Five major themes can be explored.· In addition, a number of major themes of change were identified.
· Leaning rather than pulling is a recurrent theme in windsurfing which, once mastered, leads to rapid progress.· But suicide is a recurrent theme in support group discussions.· A repeated stress upon the benefits brought by diversity is a recurrent theme of the Council documents.· We examine these recurrent themes in the managers' first-year biographies in the following pages.· A quite different sort of example is the recurrent theme of asking for a sign in the gospel narratives.· Yet, despite the stylistic variety, there is a noticeable abundance of recurrent themes and messages.· The waking and stirring of life is a recurrent theme in this poem.
· Take a critical look at effective sites on similar themes.· You should also include links to sites with a similar theme or subject.· In Psalm 8 a similar theme emerges.
NOUN· The same anti-fashion pose will soon be used on other campaign themes.· They felt I was the best candidate for change, which is my campaign theme.· Clinton hammered away at campaign themes tailor-made to appeal to predominantly white swing voters who might otherwise vote for Republican Bob Dole.· The Democrats even turned the issue into a 1996 campaign theme.· Glassheim's campaign theme emphasized change and he frequently criticized Owens.· It lays out his campaign themes of opportunity, responsibility and community.
· Subconsciously I remembered then began to hum the Robinson Crusoe theme music.· The theme music for the show starts up.· I know she liked the theme music.· The theme music starts and I immediately find something more interesting to do.· Giorgio Moroder provides the theme music.· Then we play the theme music of his films here, and meditate.
· There are also plans for a theme park next to Disneyland.· Popular with senior citizens and the motor-coach touring set, the Heritage Plantation is billed as an Americana theme park and arboretum.· The dinosaurs in the fictitious theme park do manage to dismember some of their human visitors.· It covers theme parks, ticketing, special events and accommodations.· But it does strike one as, potentially, a marvelous theme park ride.· Only that this would be on a farm: a sort of gastronomic theme park.· Growth control was in and growth-inducers like theme parks were out.
· The singer was chuffed when her album title track Proud was chosen as Labour's election theme song.· I worked on the theme song with Ziggy Marley.· And you can sing that Morphin Ranger theme song ad nauseum.· Sometimes the cartoon theme song is better than some of the episodes themselves.
· The theme tune from Titanic was played at their wedding.· Gowie Corby, Gowie Corby, the theme tune for all that's wrong in this school.· Tampons that play the Hollyoaks theme tune when inserted?· He had come to equate the programme's theme tune with dinner.· We swung into the Brotherhood of Man's special theme tune and turned all the spots on the stadium entrance.
VERB· Many novels of adventure have been based on the chivalric theme of service to women.· Dance based on ethnic themes fared better.· An innovative programme of promotions, based on the themes of connoisseurship and discovery, has built a solid following.· Some Clubs feature their own children's programme, not necessarily based on a pirate theme.· It involves the development of a restricted number of units of study based on themes which can be examined across the curriculum.· The project is based on the theme of the inland waterway and its significance historically, socially, environmentally and culturally.· It is an entirely new pack, based on the Christmas theme.· Edward Taylor's inspirational jacquard designs include a variety of bold and vibrant patterns based upon cultural themes and motifs.
· Prejudice, in all its forms, would become a central theme of his work.· Being wild, crazy and self-empowered became a theme of the group.· That threat-suitably massaged-became a defining theme of political life.· It is that dialogue that became a central theme of my work and the subject of this book.
· The story you choose should reflect the theme you want to write about.· I choose a theme by paying attention to the kids.· If you agree on the details and choose a theme you can then weave them into your planning at every stage.· So how do the fair's organisers' choose a theme and what do the dealers think of it?· Here are some ideas to help you mix and match: Choose a theme that is realistic.· Students choose one of three themes: Computer Systems Engineering.
· Serve a sampling of olives to continue the exotic theme.· It was an attempt to continue the themes developed over twenty-five years earlier in Totem and Taboo.· Before continuing with our main theme there are a few points that may need clarifying.
· To adequately understand the beginnings of urban sociology we need to develop this theme a little further.· The tutorial provides the opportunity to develop themes or discuss problems usually on the basis of written work.· I want to develop this theme for a while because it is central within this place of Walsingham.· In order to develop my theme I need to make three important assumptions.· The children listen attentively, argue, develop themes.· This painting develops the theme of the model or the object depicted as a subject within the artist's studio.· Decide whether you want to show variety or whether you want to develop a theme.· When in Four Quartets he was concerned to state or develop a theme, he frequently relapsed into flatness or banality.
· I will explore this theme in the future.· She may feel cautious about exploring certain themes in her pretend play such as coping with aggression.· A small number of in-depth interviews will explore these themes.· Part Two of this book explores themes in the study of micropolitics.· When they return to school there should be an opportunity for students to share their experiences and explore a variety of themes.· What the book does attempt to do is to provide a framework of problems and ideas, exploring major themes.· In this talk I want to explore two main themes.· We will explore these themes in more detail in Chapter 20.
· But it recurred as a theme in official and press responses to the other riots.· The recurring theme here is that community makes learning possible.· However, you do need a clear eye to pick up recurring patterns and themes in the room.· This is one of the great recurring themes of human history, the balance between cooperation and conflict.· Cattle are a recurring theme in any account of the bitterness that caused men like Robert Mugabe to take up arms.· These recur as themes throughout the book.· For example, one recurring theme is the extent to which our relationship to time is changing.· The sociology of social norms is a recurring theme.
· We shall return to the overload theme in the final chapter.· Again and again in recent years evolutionary biologists have found themselves returning to the theme of parasites.· And, to return to the culinary theme, it began with a Cook.· The brothers returned to the defense theme with ever greater urgency through the last months of 1949 and into 1950.· We shall return to this theme in a later chapter.· But he returns often to several themes, foremost the idea that knowledge -- bookish knowledge -- is a form of power.· The last group of paintings, as yet incomplete, returns to the urban theme.· But we shall return to this theme later.
· Shaking a little at first but gradually warming to his theme, the sacked Chancellor dealt John Major a devastating blow.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Gowie Corby, Gowie Corby, the theme tune for all that's wrong in this school.
- I know she liked the theme music.
- I worked on the theme song with Ziggy Marley.
- Sometimes the cartoon theme song is better than some of the episodes themselves.
- Tampons that play the Hollyoaks theme tune when inserted?
- The theme music for the show starts up.
- The theme music starts and I immediately find something more interesting to do.
- The theme tune from Titanic was played at their wedding.
WORD FAMILYnounthemeadjectivethematicadverbthematically
1subject the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film etc: The book’s theme is the conflict between love and duty.main/central/major etc theme Campbell has made health care a central theme in his campaign. Nature is a recurrent theme (=a theme that appears repeatedly) in Frost’s poetry. Most of Kurt’s other pictures were variations on the same theme.2 theme music/song/tune music or a song that is often played during a film or musical play, or at the beginning and end of a television or radio programme: the theme song from ‘The Brady Bunch’3repeated tune a short simple tune that is repeated and developed in a piece of music: Freia’s theme in Wagner’s opera4style a particular style: Her bedroom is decorated in a Victorian theme.5piece of writing American English old-fashioned a short piece of writing on a particular subject that you do for school SYN essaytheme on Your homework is to write a two-page theme on pollution.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe main/central/dominant theme· The main theme of the book is the importance of honesty.a major theme· Cultural change is the second major theme of his work.a common theme· Death and rebirth is a common theme in Eliot’s poetry.a recurrent/recurring theme (=one that appears several times)· Returning to traditional values was a major theme of the president’s speech.an underlying theme (=one that is important but not very noticeable)· One of the book’s underlying themes is the struggle for human rights.a universal theme (=subjects that affect people of all races and cultures)· Readers everywhere can relate to the universal themes in his work.phrasesvariations on a theme (=things with a similar basic subject, style etc)· Most of her short stories are variations on the theme of tragedy.