haiku

noun

Definition of haikunext
as in tanka

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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 haiku Can a home furnishing-cabal haiku be far behind? — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026 Best of all are terrace bathtubs crafted from rocks or hinoki cypress wood, filled with hot spring onsen water—plus haiku-inspiring valley views. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026 Woodland features around 25,000 titles of poetry, small press literature, handmade works and the largest collection of haiku in North America. — Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Whether from the literary rules of a haiku or the development of ferns, constraint can be a generator of form. — Jacob S. Suissa, The Conversation, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for haiku
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haiku
  1. tanka
  2. senryu
  3. sonnet
  4. poetry
  5. limerick
  6. epigram
  7. elegy
  8. psalm
Noun
  • Matsumoto worked with collaborators to translate the book of tanka poems so everyone in her family could read them.
    — Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Each photo is combined with a tanka (a five-line, 31-syllable poem) written through the lens of a 10-year-old girl encountering the Jews for the first time, composed by poet Hiroko Yamagata.
    — Josh Hasten, Sun Sentinel, 21 Sep. 2022
Definition of tanka
Noun
  • The construction is the same -- three lines, 17 syllables, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables on the third line -- but the tone and subject matter of a senryu is different.
    — Mary Colurso | [email protected], al, 19 Nov. 2020
  • The event is open to anyone interested in learning about the modern haiku, senryu and haibun types of poetry, focusing on contemporary free verse forms, not the familiar five-seven-five-syllable structure.
    — Carole Goldberg, courant.com, 7 Aug. 2019
Definition of senryu
Noun
  • In his sonnets, Shakespeare pairs was with glass, and warmed with disarmed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • Tech was even still cool in late 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT and everyone started giddily re-doing Taylor Swift lyrics as Shakespearean sonnets.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
Definition of sonnet
Noun
  • Which brings me, finally, to the question of genre, and specifically, here, of poetry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • The original organization was created after the 1994 Men’s World Cup to allow kids to play in soccer teams for free while also developing literacy skills by writing poetry.
    — Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Definition of poetry
Noun
  • He was also known for his haikus and limericks, including some written to summarize ethics.
    — Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2026
  • There are some touching moments, dirty limericks and a good balance of characters presented by veterans of the scene.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 2 Aug. 2025
Definition of limerick
Noun
  • By greatly expanding the dimensions of his images, with their muted palettes, tight cropping, found symmetries, and laconic wit, had the maestro of the photographic epigram betrayed his subtractive aesthetic?
    — James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • Johnson is the author of the epigrams, but Boswell is very much the co-author.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Definition of epigram
Noun
  • This isn’t just an elegy for a lost boy, but also a way for McElwee to put his own career into the larger context of his life.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
  • Last week, some of the brightest minds of my generation left us angry elegies and poetic travelogues.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of elegy
Noun
  • Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.
    — Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • Over the course of Gregory Orr’s long career, his poems have become increasingly incantatory, more and more like chants or psalms, repeating, reformulating, reaching for the edges of the same rich metaphors.
    — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
Definition of psalm

Browse Nearby Words

ha-has
haiku
hail
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Cite this Entry

“Haiku.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haiku. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about haiku

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