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song

noun

ˈsȯŋ How to pronounce song (audio)
Definition of songnext
1
as in ballad
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment she sang a little-known song for the talent show

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2
as in poem
a composition using rhythm and often rhyme to create a lyrical effect the songs of Shakespeare

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3
as in melody
a rhythmic series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect whistle a song as accompaniment to your work

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4
as in dime
a very small sum of money developers bought the land for a song

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in poetry
writing that uses rhythm, vivid language, and often rhyme to provoke an emotional response a hero honored in song and story

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 song Popular music from the 1960s blended the Khmer heritage of courtly performing arts with French cabaret songs, brass music, and bossa nova introduced by way of the Philippines. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 15 Sep. 2026 Like a drug, your ego can stop you from listening to your true self … My true self is someone who writes and sings songs. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026 The song is about the pro-Palestine demonstrators who occupied a building at Columbia University after the murder of Hind Rajab. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 A lot of it now is AI music — just look at the statistics of how many songs are being released now compared to even like 10 years ago. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for song
Recent Examples of Synonyms for song
  1. ballad
  2. poem
  3. melody
  4. dime
  5. poetry
  6. lyric
  7. hymn
  8. anthem
Noun
  • The nineteenth century saw authors in other countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Norway) attempting to firm up their nationalist claims by ransacking popular ballads, rustic legends, and oral traditions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But Robin Hood, the ballads all postdate the Peasants’ Revolt and were wildly popular and continued to resonate and echo down.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of ballad
Noun
  • His first book of poems, DIY Prison Project, was published in 2025 by Evening Street Press.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Every Award Show Should Feature a Betty Gilpin Acceptance Speech Calling out Sam Altman is merely one aspect of her now-viral acceptance poem.
    — Britina Cheng, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • Vitale points to research out of a Swedish university that looked at the melody and tone of the meow.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Karrahboooo’s flow, kind of like Veeze or Lucki, manages to feel both laid back and conversational and deeply and intricately rhythmic, an almost enchanting combination made more potent by Karrahbooo’s almost dance-leaning sense of melody.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of melody
Noun
  • Bills debut their dime look The Bills used a pretty specific third-down grouping for most of the game.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The term most commonly applies to pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars, which were minted with 90% silver.
    — Amy DeYoung, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of dime
Noun
  • Most of the books were published between the nineteen-seventies and the twenty-tens, and the genres spanned history, biography, fiction, poetry, literary criticism, law, and the social sciences.
    — Francesca Mancino, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This reputation is tied to the biting wit and unruly imagination found across his prose, poetry and political writings.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of poetry
Noun
  • The more the lyrics swish around, the more their implications start to weigh.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Look up the sexy lyrics, and turn the volume up on the love song, Cancer.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lyric
Noun
  • The crowd listened in silence as the Polynesians, wearing blue fire uniforms, sang a Tahitian hymn in harmony while two of them strummed ukuleles.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hymn
Noun
  • In 2016, the former San Francisco 49ers player first sat, then knelt, during the anthem to protest police brutality.
    — Michel Martin, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
  • While the Champions League anthem was playing — booed, as always, by the Barcelona fans — a sudden downpour came out of the blue.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of anthem

Phrases Containing song

Browse Nearby Words

sonant
song
song and dance
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Cite this Entry

“Song.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/song. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on song

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about song

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