limerick

noun

Definition of limericknext
as in sonnet
a humorous rhyming composition of five lines She recited an old limerick which elicited guffaws from the crowd

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of limerick They were trained to repeat dirty jokes and limericks about Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer to customers. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 10 July 2025 There’s a person writing beautiful custom poems that are sort of dirty limericks. — Emily Leibert, Curbed, 2 Nov. 2024 Instead, what we’re served feels more like dirty limericks delivered at an excruciating pace by a bore with bad breath. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024 In countless interviews, Joel has mused that the waltzing chord progression is monotonous and the lyrics akin to limericks. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for limerick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limerick
  1. sonnet
  2. poem
  3. rhyme
  4. psalm
  5. verse
Noun
  • People can and should be skeptical about the sonnets written about starting NFL quarterbacks every offseason, when no one is getting sacked and almost everyone looks good.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026
  • The conventions ground the writing as meter and rhyme steady a sonnet.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of sonnet
Noun
  • In its simplest definition, a ballad is a poem or song that tells a story.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • One of us would be chosen to recite the poem onstage—a kitsch performance, no doubt, so that an auditorium of adults would be moved to tears.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • The rhyme scheme is typically abcb, which means the second and fourth lines end in the same rhyme (b).
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Straight women queuing for Heated Rivalry and Heartstopper have a rhyme with any human queuing for the Court of Thorns and Roses series, simply given all those werewolves.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhyme
Noun
  • During a recent morning visit, large groups of Jewish worshippers circumambulated the holy site under close police guard, singing psalms at full volume and openly praying.
    — Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Psalm 23 is numbered Psalm 22 in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate because of differences in how the psalms are divided and numbered.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of psalm
Noun
  • The track opens with piano and a sparkling string arrangement while Bryan takes the first verse.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Beathard drove the melody in the verses and chorus, threading a stream of steady rhythms that keep the piece rolling forward.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of verse

Browse Nearby Words

limelights
limerick
limericks
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Cite this Entry

“Limerick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limerick. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on limerick

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about limerick

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