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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Recent Examples of limerick
Like Andy Warhol’s soup cans, Slaughterhouse-Five, with its jokes, drawings, risqué limericks and flying saucers, blurs the line between high and low culture.
—
Susan Farrell, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
The team started with sonnets, then went on to limericks.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
In May 1990, third-grader Taylor Burns sent him a handwritten limerick about a mouse found in a stew.
—Emma Balter, Chron, 4 Oct. 2022
Lines 1, 2 and 5 of a limerick rhyme with one another, as do Lines 3 and 4.
—Pat Myers, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for limerick
Susan Farrell, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
The team started with sonnets, then went on to limericks.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
In May 1990, third-grader Taylor Burns sent him a handwritten limerick about a mouse found in a stew.
—Emma Balter, Chron, 4 Oct. 2022
Lines 1, 2 and 5 of a limerick rhyme with one another, as do Lines 3 and 4.
—Pat Myers, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for limerick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limerick
Noun
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The poem was published in Shakespeare’s 1609 quarto of 154 sonnets, which wasn’t widely popular in its day.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 Mar. 2025
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At Paul Revere Junior High, Russell won first place at a Shakespeare Festival for his sonnet recitation.—
Katherine Turman,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Noun
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These poems engage directly with memory, as well as both language and the act of making.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 June 2025
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The film also becomes a wistful poem about life and aging, one that observes the injustice of old age with humor and kindness.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Our rhymes died with children in bread lines Our voices as empty as their mothers’ arms.—
Fatemeh Shams
June 30,
Literary Hub,
30 June 2025
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Lurching rhymes and almost-rhymes shoulder their way into long, irregular lines.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
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On Jewish holidays, the Hallel prayer is recited in Shul as a psalm of praise and thanksgiving and collective expression of gratitude for GDs miracles.—
Rafael James,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
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We're bound by the same beliefs, the same psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of liberty.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
11 June 2025
Noun
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The Best Cocktail for Poetry Fans: Negroni Lyrical writers like Shakespeare and John Keats often relied on iambic pentameter: verses that contain five 10-syllable lines.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 June 2025
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The verses maintained the same reflective tone as that chorus, drifting back lyrically to a time when the two people were young and carefree.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Limerick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limerick. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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