as in licks
the smallest amount or part imaginable
you're not making a syllable of sense
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of syllables
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
For the monks or clerics, it is presented as a material substance, carried like a sack of gold on the demon’s back; the metaphors used are monetary or economic, as though the monks owe ordered syllables to God instead of the monetary tithe their vows of poverty render unnecessary.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Their brains had a smaller N1 response when inner and outer syllables matched (the inner SIS effect).
—New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
Such a marvelous collection of syllables.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
So far, the researchers have transcribed about 50 hours of barks into syllables.
—Miriam Fauzia, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
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
For the monks or clerics, it is presented as a material substance, carried like a sack of gold on the demon’s back; the metaphors used are monetary or economic, as though the monks owe ordered syllables to God instead of the monetary tithe their vows of poverty render unnecessary.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
Their brains had a smaller N1 response when inner and outer syllables matched (the inner SIS effect).
—New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
Such a marvelous collection of syllables.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
So far, the researchers have transcribed about 50 hours of barks into syllables.
—Miriam Fauzia, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for syllables
Noun
-
Miami got some good licks on Mendoza, bloodying his lip early on a shot from Jakobe Thomas that probably could have drawn a flag for targeting.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Magazine staffers gathered in the editor’s office and listened in awe to pedal steel licks and tight, pretty harmonies — from the Dead!—
Ben Fong-Torres,
Rolling Stone,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Blackhawks dressing room was a rowdy scene after the game, their hoots and hollers reverberating throughout the bowels of the United Center.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Cowboy and cowgirl hoots and hollers complement the rumbling of the massive animals’ hooves as they’re rounded up into the corrals.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
And then quite a bit of dumb bits, like really dumb bits.—
Eric Ducker,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Those moments allowed O’Hara, in a mostly straight role, to add bits of signature zaniness.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The multilingual performer raps in French, Arabic, and Milanese slang.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
During his performances, Hensinger sings, raps, beatboxes, plays the piano, and plays the trumpet.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Syllables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syllables. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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