plural melodies
1
: a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
whilst all the winds with melody are ringing—
P. B. Shelley
P. B. 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 Cahill
Examples 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
Clocking in at six minutes and 34 seconds, the melody simmers, carefully bubbling up into a work of jazz and spoken word.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2024
The score’s main theme feels, above all, like a progression—a steady movement from melody to dissonance, from keening violins to ominous cellos, from pastoral splendor to something more sinister and unresolved.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for melody 
Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2024
The score’s main theme feels, above all, like a progression—a steady movement from melody to dissonance, from keening violins to ominous cellos, from pastoral splendor to something more sinister and unresolved.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for melody
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'melody.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Melody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melody. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
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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