as in licks
the smallest amount or part imaginable
you're not making a syllable of sense
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Recent Examples of syllables
The method of literacy instruction is often associated with smaller letter sounds, like consonant blends or syllables.
—
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
The format is five lines of five, seven, five, seven, seven syllables, for a total of 31 syllables.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
His party’s full name is the Respect and Freedom Party, but it’s known by a portmanteau of the first syllables of those Hungarian words.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Many of its songs crystallize around samples of choirs singing, their soft syllables dissolving beneath heavy shrouds of reverb.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
With her original, breathy way of speaking, stressing odd syllables and stretching random vowels to the breaking point, her mad fashions and family of wigs, Moira is a sketch character with depth.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
No middle name, no hyphen, no extraneous vowels, three syllables played on a drum.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026
The rhythm of a sentence will accommodate a certain number of syllables.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Those with the speech impediment can repeat sounds or syllables, make longer sounds, or get stuck on a word or sound.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
The format is five lines of five, seven, five, seven, seven syllables, for a total of 31 syllables.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
His party’s full name is the Respect and Freedom Party, but it’s known by a portmanteau of the first syllables of those Hungarian words.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Many of its songs crystallize around samples of choirs singing, their soft syllables dissolving beneath heavy shrouds of reverb.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026
With her original, breathy way of speaking, stressing odd syllables and stretching random vowels to the breaking point, her mad fashions and family of wigs, Moira is a sketch character with depth.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
No middle name, no hyphen, no extraneous vowels, three syllables played on a drum.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026
The rhythm of a sentence will accommodate a certain number of syllables.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Those with the speech impediment can repeat sounds or syllables, make longer sounds, or get stuck on a word or sound.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for syllables
Noun
-
Eventually music theory discussion turned to actual licks.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
She was known to sneak butter from the fridge to enjoy a few finger licks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Quaise is developing a drilling system that uses millimeter wave energy to melt and vaporize rock at extreme depths where conventional drill bits struggle with heat and pressure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Watching babies get blown to bits should do something to you.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Timbaland’s eerie, minimalist production — stuttering beat patterns, yawning silences between drum hits, synth riffs that bray and heave — was the ideal vehicle for Elliott’s slaloming, heavily syncopated raps.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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These are redemption raps with only the vaguest sense of what redemption might look like, a wishy-washy desire to both stomp the haters and be widely loved again.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Syllables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syllables. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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