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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 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
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • Last season, while in charge at Burnley, Scott Parker also played music during warm-ups and ball-work phases of sessions — and, like the Italian, his staff paused the tunes for tactical sessions.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Pivots into a black-and-white Brazilian telenovela, which Camilo tunes into nightly while on baby duty, feed into the film’s nesting-doll narrative on paper, but in practice make for annoyingly gratuitous flourishes.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 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
  • Parton recorded her vocals for the track in 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Rolling Stone reported.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • However, expect Take’s vocals to posthumously appear on the album.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 11 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
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Cite this Entry

“Songs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/songs. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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