syllable

noun

ˈsi-lə-bəl How to pronounce syllable (audio)
Definition of syllablenext
as in damn
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 syllable There has been a half-hearted rule in English spelling to use OW at the end of a word or syllable, and OU everywhere else. — Literary Hub, 25 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 Homer wrote a very long line of poetry—dactylic hexameter, with its six beats, and as many as seventeen syllables. — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026 Siobhan/Grant’s song titles can only use single-syllable words, and Lily/Raph’s song titles have to be commands. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for syllable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for syllable
  1. damn
  2. hoot
  3. lick
  4. whit
Noun
  • Trump is not a successful deal maker, because no deal Trump makes is worth a damn.
    — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And if that is to be the case, most Chicagoans do not give a damn whether the team goes to Arlington Heights or Hammond.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
Definition of damn
Noun
  • 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
  • The End of Oak Street is a hoot and a half, but its resolutions yield far more questions than actual answers.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoot
Noun
  • 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
  • But for healthy kids and adults, the occasional lick is fine, experts say.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of lick
Noun
  • His adoration, here as in all things natural, is infectious, although the birds themselves care not a whit for him, and isn’t that part of the wonder, the fun?
    — Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • An unconventional structure or new approach bothers them not a whit.
    — Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026
Definition of whit

Browse Nearby Words

syllabi
syllable
syllables
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Cite this Entry

“Syllable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syllable. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on syllable

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about syllable

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