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

Related Words

Relevance

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
  • The conventions ground the writing as meter and rhyme steady a sonnet.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 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
  • Adapted from Blake’s poem into song by Hubert Parry, ‘Jerusalem’ may be slower-paced than ‘God Save The King’ but its fluctuations in pace and tone at least give it some momentum.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • My perspectives on the poem have been informed and shaped by the work of many brilliant colleagues and predecessors, including those in this volume and many more.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 31 July 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • Growing up in Queens as hip-hop came of age, Rozell Manely Brown desired nothing more than a drum machine to back up his rhyme.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The first half was a scrappy, testy affair with very little rhythm or rhyme from both teams.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of rhyme
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
Noun
  • His campaign materials are filled with religious content like Bible verses and prayers.
    — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • His social media posts range from workout routines to Bible verses to anti-Semitic messages.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of verse

Browse Nearby Words

limelights
limerick
limericks
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Limerick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limerick. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on limerick

Nglish: Translation of limerick for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about limerick

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All