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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Soon Balderas associated certain songs with her daily routine, particularly Antonio Aguilar songs. — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026 The power of those two songs catapulted Kings of Leon from hellraising upstarts who opened for rock giants like U2, the Rolling Stones, and Pearl Jam in the mid-aughts to global stardom. — Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 Each month, children will explore a new seasonal theme through stories, nature hikes, songs, games and crafts during the program. — Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Johnny, a mezzo-soprano, delivers songs by Ravel, Fairuz, Strohl, and others. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 Billboard is honoring the date with a roundup of some of the best songs to emerge in the aftermath, featuring tracks that grieve for the victims and their families as well as recognize the resilience of Americans since. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026 The latest version includes a handful of unreleased tunes, in addition to the original 2006 songs. — Caché McClay, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026 Artists using the library to record, produce and distribute songs is not unheard of. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Sadly, the production was a downer, draining Kushner’s masterpiece of color and humor and inserting, in their place, gloomy projections of cityscapes and, unaccountably, David Bowie songs. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for songs
  1. ballads
  2. poems
  3. melodies
  4. lyrics
  5. tunes
  6. hymns
  7. vocals
  8. jingles
Noun
  • 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
  • The project featured eight tracks that were mostly recorded in Spanish with the help of Rudy Pérez, a Grammy-winning producer behind some of the biggest ballads in Latin music.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of ballads
Noun
  • The report included evidence of creepy poems and consistent messages to both employees, neither of whom are named in the panel's findings.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In a voice at once biting and contemplative, eerie and funny, Kasischke crafts poems in which nothing is ever stable or resolved.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of poems
Noun
  • The sound of the new album is lush and emotional, which Louris sees as an echo of the pop melodies of an earlier record, 1997’s Sound of Lies, a longtime fan favorite.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Colombian folk-pop band is known in the Latin music world for catchy melodies, heartfelt lyrics and energetic live shows.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of melodies
Noun
  • The live-to-film concert will present an orchestral performance of the score from John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, who also helmed music and lyrics.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026
  • And the most popular musical group, in terms of how frequently their songs and lyrics appear in the scientific literature, is The Beatles, according to a new paper published in the journal PLoS ONE.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • Footage shared by the zoo shows Walter listening closely as Jess plays tunes nearby.
    — Denis Akbari, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As the only mayoral candidate to ride on a float during the Labor Day Parade, Mamdani is uniquely qualified to select some big tunes.
    — Reshma B, VIBE.com, 7 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
  • Granduciel is backed on the recording by longtime War on Drugs bandmates Dave Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Anthony LaMarca (drums, guitar), Jon Natchez (organ, saxophone) and Eliza Hardy-Jones (vocals).
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This one resembles the winsome, acoustic Sea Change (2002) and Morning Phase (2014), dressing the shape-shifting troubadour’s reflective vocals in windswept orchestral-folk adornment.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of vocals
Noun
  • Initially, the group aired jingles on the radio and distributed flyers around Ife, stressing the importance of early detection.
    — Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of jingles

Browse Nearby Words

songlike
songs
songsmith
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Songs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/songs. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All