songs

noun

plural of song
1
as in ballads
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 poems
a composition using rhythm and often rhyme to create a lyrical effect the songs of Shakespeare

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in melodies
a rhythmic series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect whistle a song as accompaniment to your work

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in poetries
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 songs But the biggest legacy Parton leaves is her songwriting, and three songs define her more than any others. — Wendy Hargreaves, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026 And around the world, people are streaming her songs en masse. — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 The brains that go into these songs, the passion and purpose. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 28 Aug. 2026 The 59 year old recovered well and kept singing, before stretching between songs. — David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026 During what was billed as his only live performance of the summer, John Mayer paid tribute to Dolly Parton by integrating one of her most iconic songs into his encore. — Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Others, including Jack White, Harry Styles, and John Mayer, performed her songs or acknowledged her loss at their concerts. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026 Both of those songs became number-one country hits, in ’73 and ’74, respectively, and Dolly, Porter Wagoner’s girl singer no more, became America’s rhinestone superstar. — David Kamp, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for songs
  1. ballads
  2. poems
  3. melodies
  4. lyrics
  5. tunes
  6. hymns
  7. vocals
  8. jingles
Noun
  • As a result, the concert featured no acoustic sets, no power ballads, no reason for anybody to sit down.
    — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The soft, soothing sounds of Anne Murray and the over-the-top, emotional ballads of Barbra Streisand had filled our living room and shaped my understanding of female singers.
    — Lisa Whittington-Hill, Longreads, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ballads
Noun
  • Text The Psalms are sacred songs, or sacred poems, originally written in Hebrew and likely meant to be sung.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Cowin has also spliced together photographs of disparate subjects — people, places and things — on broad horizontal panels that suggest narrative progression but instead register as evocative panoramic poems.
    — Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of poems
Noun
  • James’ melodies seem to materialize and unspool, an unforced reclamation of the mystery that once permeated his writing.
    — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Within a few months of Wood’s death, Gossard composed an album’s worth of extraordinary songs, or at least the bones of them, minus vocal melodies and lyrics.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of melodies
Noun
  • Less pleading and more of a warning, Beyoncé’s version of the beloved hit features different lyrics and an introduction that directly references the original track.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, both the moonwalk and the glove feature in the lyrics.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • The latest version includes a handful of unreleased tunes, in addition to the original 2006 songs.
    — Caché McClay, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Quaid was overwhelmed with joy and claimed Cruise personally called him with the news that the production was set, but quickly changed tunes once Hathaway was revealed as Cruise's co-star.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of tunes
Noun
  • 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
  • Avie Lee filled the family's two-room home with music by singing hymns, folk songs and traditional mountain music.
    — Devarrick Turner, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hymns
Noun
  • Anurag Saikia composed the music for the first track, which features vocals by Jyoti Nooran and lyrics by Shakeel Azmi.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The 25-year-old California singer-songwriter staked out his turf by taking pride in the ordinariness of his hit, from the mild-mannered vocals to the drama-free sincerity of his romantic imagery.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of vocals
Noun
  • Decked out in regalia featuring feathers, jingles, beads and colorful fabrics, these dancers from across Californian and North American tribal communities did prayer ceremonies in the Shingle Springs Rancheria’s open-air dance circle.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Our heroine, Allie (Monica Barbaro), is a singer who records commercial jingles for products that treat acne and vaginal dryness (presumably less of a problem, given the current non-state of affairs).
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of jingles

Browse Nearby Words

songlike
songs
songsmith
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Cite this Entry

“Songs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/songs. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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