From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmelodymel‧o‧dy /ˈmelədi/ ●○○ noun (plural melodies) 1 [countable]APM a song or tune They played some lovely melodies. a haunting melody► see thesaurus at music2 [uncountable] the arrangement of musical notes in a way that is pleasantCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa sweet/pretty/lovely melody (=pleasant)The pianist played a sweet melody.a good/strong melodyIt’s hard to find rules about what makes a good melody.a simple melodyI like songs with a simple melody.a catchy melody (=one that is easy to remember)With their catchy melodies, the songs are likely to be hits.a haunting melody (=used about a beautiful melody, especially one that is rather sad and which you remember for a long time)He began to play a soulful, haunting melody.a plaintive melody (=sad)The song's plaintive melody expresses perfectly the feeling of loneliness that she feels after her lover has gone. a lilting melody (=rising and falling in a pleasant way)Lennon’s voice enters with a gently lilting melody.a pop melody (=one that is typical of a pop song)The album’s perfect pop melodies make it probably the best record this year.verbshave a melodyAll his songs have good melodies.play a melodyAt this point, the flute begins to play the melody.sing a melodyShe sang the melodies as though she loved them.carry the melody (=play or sing the melody, while other voices or instruments play other notes)The soprano voice carries the melody.melody + NOUNthe melody line (=the melody, compared to the other parts of the music)The melody line is often set too high for people singing in church.
Examples from the Corpus
melody• Melody is not the central element in Martino's compositions - rhythm is more important.• Over the blare of a popular movie melody, a marketer invites shoppers to the vehicle.• He was sitting on a tall stool by the window, picking out fragments of old melodies on a twelve string Yamaha.• But spiking the sugar with vinegar, and layering distortion over melody, is the Alternative Formula nowadays.• A lot of pretty melodies with some frayed edges.• The song has a simple melody and beautiful lyrics.• To be part of that melody of infinite chimes of light!• As the melody soared and spiralled, Ari and Nathan spun within it, reaching for the highest notes.• "Deutschlandlied" is based on the melody from a work by Haydn.• He first states the melody, then improvises, with ingenuity.• The melody was free of clutter, without filigree, stripped to its barest line.Origin melody (1100-1200) Old French melodie, from Late Latin, from Greek meloidia “music”, from melos “arm or leg, musical phrase, song” + aeidein “to sing” 