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national anthem

national anthem

42 2.3
An official song a country uses to represent itself at ceremonies and events
  • noun
  • /ˈnæʃənl ˈænθəm/
translation icon : himno nacional
  • Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the French national anthem.
  • sing the national anthem
  • play the national anthem
  • flag and national anthem

They don't have a national anthem, They don't have a flag.

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Examples

  • Please rise for the national anthem and remain standing.

  • They stand up when the national anthem is played.

  • The national anthem is our song.

  • Ladies and gentlemen, our national anthem.

  • Will you join me in singing the national anthem?

  • The U.S. Congress designated the song as the national anthem in 1931.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Mary Robinson came out dressed in purple silk, and everyone stood for the national anthem.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I saw this live singer, Ingrid Andress, she sang the national anthem before the Home Run Derby last night.

  • The Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, speaks of the yearning for Zion and Jerusalem.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Please rise for the national anthem and remain standing.

Synonyms

anthem
vsnational anthem
109 3.5

A song for a country, school, or religion that shows love and loyalty

is an official song adopted to represent a country at ceremonies

How Official

national anthem
42 2.3
folk song
11 2.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

national + anthem

The meaning 'an official song adopted by a country' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'national' (pertaining to the country) with 'anthem' (a song of loyalty or praise). This ADJ+N compound follows a standard compositional pattern and has clear cross‑linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase national anthem comes from the idea of a special song for a country. The word national means 'of the country' and anthem means a song sung to praise or celebrate, so the phrase now means 'an official song' that represents a country.