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 Produced again by the classic-rocker whisperer Andrew Watt (Paul McCartney, Elton John, Pearl Jam), the band delivers a clutch of strong songs. — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 But we writers of historical fiction should never forget, in our focus on the vast sweep of time and change, that the symphony itself is composed of lots of little songs. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 Yeah, and being able to road test a lot of the songs live really shines a light on what bits of songs are good and have an instant connection to the audience, and which bits don’t. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026 But the B-sides to both songs hinted at the political pulse beating across the album’s front half. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 10 July 2026 The Rolling Stones Chart Four Bestselling Songs Foreign Tongues features 14 songs, and four of them are bestsellers apart from the album. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The songs are performed by Gustavo Dudamel with the Philharmonia Orchestra. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026 The chants, drums and songs from Colombian supporters filled the stadium from well before kickoff. — Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026 Taylor Swift’s love story with New York City The pop superstar, who has a residence in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, has mentioned the city in several songs. — Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for songs
  1. ballads
  2. poems
  3. melodies
  4. lyrics
  5. tunes
  6. hymns
  7. vocals
  8. jingles
Noun
  • These standout ballads touted a rugged lifestyle with elements of organized crime, which aided his primo’s ascent to the mainstream.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • These songs were less detailed than the ballads but conveyed intense emotion gleaned from an often hardscrabble existence.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of ballads
Noun
  • Some people like to write poems, other people like to perform music, other people like to run marathons.
    — We The Action, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Fragments of email correspondence appear alongside bits of dialogue, histories of apocalyptic movements in Korea, and poems about the nature of time and the Bardo (the Tibetan Buddhist concept for the transitional period between death and rebirth).
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of poems
Noun
  • Disgruntled colonists in taverns and town squares borrowed British melodies to support new lyrics expressive of a developing national consciousness.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Even more than usual, critics and Dylanologists scrutinized Modern Times for references and allusions, finding words and melodies paraphrased from the works of Muddy Waters, Bing Crosby, and the Roman poet Ovid.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 29 June 2026
Definition of melodies
Noun
  • The musical features a book by Jenna Clark Embrey and Molly Beach Murphy, which music and lyrics by Train, choreography by David Neumann, direction by Lorin Latarro and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Brian Usifer.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
  • Between Bon Jovi being home-ish from the band's Sayreville, New Jersey, roots and also back home on stage, the resonance of the lyrics were apparent on his face.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • At 14 songs and 62 minutes, the album would have benefited from trimming three or four of the more generic tunes.
    — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Rush further acknowledged its roots with tunes that the teenage Lee and Lifeson used to study by listening to records on a turntable and following along on their instruments.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of tunes
Noun
  • Many American poets have written hymns and howls, declarations and outcries for this country that brims with so many people, and so many hopes, from all over the world.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 4 July 2026
  • Transplants from the British Isles In 1776, as the nation’s founding generation proclaimed democratic ideals, music in the emerging United States consisted largely of British ballads, fiddle tunes, sea chanteys and hymns.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of hymns
Noun
  • Jagger penned new lyrics, recorded new vocals, and presto — the band made its last classic.
    — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Multitracking his voice into a haunted choir, the effect as his vocals rise and cut out is absolutely gutting.
    — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
Definition of vocals
Noun
  • The artists will be fine, but the guys who do commercial music, film music, advertising music, jingles, and everything, they will be replaced.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
  • The show’s jingles about the virus also play intermittently throughout the day and residents are able to call in with questions.
    — Ope Adetayo, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 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 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on songs

Nglish: Translation of songs for Spanish Speakers

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 xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All