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
  • Stewart lent his voice to all 154 of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, including reflections on the narration process, in the 2026 audiobook Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sonnet
Noun
  • More than 40 years after making his directorial debut with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), and penning the poem that would eventually inspire The Nightmare Before Christmas, Burton is expanding his artistic remit once more.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Some were traveling to funerals, weddings and family reunions that the poet laureate commemorated in a poem written in minutes.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • Unlike verses of later ballad traditions, collected in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Old English poets rarely used any kind of rhyme and appear not to have followed a regular meter or rhythm.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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
  • But the former activist also encouraged his friend to stay positive, citing a verse from the Bible.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Fairly good first verse but then a weak verse that wasn’t quite as strong.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on limerick

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about limerick

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