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limerick
noun
lim·er·ick
ˈli-mə-rik
ˈlim-rik
: a light or humorous verse form of five chiefly anapestic verses of which lines 1, 2, and 5 are of three feet and lines 3 and 4 are of two feet with a rhyme scheme of aabba
Examples of limerick in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s a person writing beautiful custom poems that are sort of dirty limericks.
—Emily Leibert, Curbed, 2 Nov. 2024
Instead, what we’re served feels more like dirty limericks delivered at an excruciating pace by a bore with bad breath.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
In countless interviews, Joel has mused that the waltzing chord progression is monotonous and the lyrics akin to limericks.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024
Like Andy Warhol’s soup cans, Slaughterhouse-Five, with its jokes, drawings, risqué limericks and flying saucers, blurs the line between high and low culture.
—Susan Farrell, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2023
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Word History
Etymology
Limerick, Ireland
First Known Use
1895, in the meaning defined above
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Dictionary Entries Near limerick
Cite this Entry
“Limerick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/limerick. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
limerick
noun
lim·er·ick
ˈlim-(ə-)rik
: a humorous poem five lines long in which the first, second, and fifth lines have one rhyme and the third and fourth another
Geographical Definition
Limerick
geographical name
Lim·er·ick
ˈli-mə-rik
ˈlim-rik
1
county of southwestern Ireland in Munster area 1037 square miles (2696 square kilometers), population 191,809
2
city and port on the Shannon River in southwestern Ireland population 57,106
Note: The city of Limerick is the capital of the county of Limerick.
More from Merriam-Webster on limerick
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for limerick
Nglish: Translation of limerick for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about limerick
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