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
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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
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
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Recent Examples of songs
These outsized musical personalities often leave more distinctive fingerprints on the songs than the BTS members themselves do.
—
Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The centerpiece is Love Rocks, built around seven songs by Lenny Kravitz.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
The four-man group plays and sings with equal verve whether essaying its own engaging songs or classics by Bill Monroe, The Carter Family and The Stanley Brothers.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
These extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
These songs have a magnificent swagger — again, a swagger reminiscent of the world’s greatest swaggerers from Elvis to Freddie to Prince.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Relationship songs about things that ended years ago.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
People find so much beauty in nature, from the dazzling colors of butterflies to the melodious songs of birds and the aromas of flowers.
—Logan S. James, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
Themes of self-ennoblement run throughout this playful and prodigious jazz-pop suite, a quartet of songs explore the pleasures (and sometimes, perils) of gassing yourself up.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The centerpiece is Love Rocks, built around seven songs by Lenny Kravitz.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
The four-man group plays and sings with equal verve whether essaying its own engaging songs or classics by Bill Monroe, The Carter Family and The Stanley Brothers.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
These extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
These songs have a magnificent swagger — again, a swagger reminiscent of the world’s greatest swaggerers from Elvis to Freddie to Prince.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Relationship songs about things that ended years ago.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
People find so much beauty in nature, from the dazzling colors of butterflies to the melodious songs of birds and the aromas of flowers.
—Logan S. James, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
Themes of self-ennoblement run throughout this playful and prodigious jazz-pop suite, a quartet of songs explore the pleasures (and sometimes, perils) of gassing yourself up.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for songs
Noun
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The Asian version will take flight after the original contest takes place in Vienna in May, with 35 countries competing in the singing contest known for outrageous costumes, towering ballads and high-energy performances.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
31 Mar. 2026
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His lot has electricity, a shack for storage, a living room with a TV and a sound system that blasts Spanish-language ballads through the encampment — or Usher, depending on the mood.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His poems employ numbers significant to Dine (Navajo) thought and ways of life.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
-
There’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of poems in my journals that come right after a sad story or a happy story or whatever.—
Jessica Firger,
SELF,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set against piano and trumpet melodies, each verse is imbued with messages of hope and resilience, reflecting the group’s unwavering spirit.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
27 Mar. 2026
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Where sampling once meant reshaping older songs into something new, these artists often work more directly, pulling recognizable melodies, flows, and textures before placing them side by side.—
Keegan Brady,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That same urban canyon effect made lyrics even harder to catch.—
Yook JiHun,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
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With their blissful harmonies and flowery, mystical lyrics, the Texas duo embodied soft rock, ushering in the genre at the dawn of the Seventies with a gentle nudge and a tip of Seals’ signature newsboy cap.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Bartók’s 1933 Dances of Galanta, about 16 minutes’ worth, draw on tunes from the eponymous town — then Hungarian, now in Slovakia.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cripple Creek also will offer ski and bike tunes.—
Max Scheinblum,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The arena filled with the sound of hymns, and the Mass featured Bible readings, Holy Communion and a homily.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
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In a manner that feels prototypical of the plant’s subsequent valorization across other cultures, the cucumber makes an appearance in the Rigveda, an ancient collection of Sanskrit hymns belonging to the canonical Hindu tradition.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lebohang Morake — the Grammy-winning South African composer behind the film’s opening Zulu vocals — filed a federal civil complaint in California on March 16 against the comedian, Learnmore Jonasi, alleging that the translation is false and damaging to his life’s work.—
Joe Kottke,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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The trio trade verses and backing vocals while Puth defers to his heroes for their keyboards and guitar, respectively.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The jingles and sounders used to identify CBS News network programming heard on the stations for decades have also been part of the listening experience.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
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And expect a few jingles from the Fab Four.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Songs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/songs. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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