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syllables

noun

plural of syllable
as in licks
the smallest amount or part imaginable you're not making a syllable of sense

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 syllables The vapors that had risen from warm bodies in the pews would have carried syllables mixed with candle-soot, distilled as condensation on the chapel windows. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 Each person had a small whiteboard and marker, dividing the word up into syllables and adding symbols that showed how to pronounce certain vowels and letters. — Lina Ruiz september 21, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026 Their head coach would pace around them before belting out three syllables. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 The goddess Gayatri, a divine manifestation of the Gayatri mantra, is described in the Mahanarayana Upanishad as having five heads, along with three feet, six abdominal sections, and 24 syllables. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 Those four syllables, Va-len-ti-no, were enough to set hearts aflutter. — Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 At its best, Abrams’ writing taps into a satisfying cadence where the syllables follow an irresistible internal logic and hit just right. — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026 Cybersecurity, with its six syllables, is by no means a small word. — Ipsita Mohanty, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 For example, Anna Claire has a nice balance of syllables and distinctive sounds, while Anna Ella feels more repetitive. — Liz Regalia, Parents, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for syllables
  1. licks
  2. hoots
  3. bits
  4. raps
Noun
  • Still, the 7-foot-3 giant still got his licks in on Mysterio.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Opening with the title track, feedback-heavy licks set the temperature as Dillom catches us up on the escapades of recent years.
    — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks
Noun
  • Church bells, owl hoots and sprinklers keeping the grass hydrated during this dry spell fill the space between the occasional motor trudging along a main road devoid of commotion.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles.
    — Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoots
Noun
  • Speaking in the October/November issue of Reader’s Digest, out Friday, Groban told interviewer Leigh Belz Ray (who is also the 104-year-old magazine’s editor in chief) that he was cautioned that the comedy bits might confuse some fans of his music.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Both Carrie Ann and Derek praise Guillermo for committing to the character of the dance instead of comedy bits.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of bits
Noun
  • Here was Jay, drawing a line between the increasingly popular molly raps of the 2010s with his own penchant for luxury garments.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In another era, his hard-nosed coke raps could have blown up in a much cooler way, say, during the 2010s blog era.
    — Lei Takanashi, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026
Definition of raps

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Cite this Entry

“Syllables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syllables. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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