a county in N Munster, in the SW Republic of Ireland. 037 sq. mi. (2,686 sq. km).
its county seat: a seaport at the head of the Shannon estuary.
Angling. a fishhook having a sharp bend below the barb.
a county of SW Republic of Ireland, in N Munster province: consists chiefly of an undulating plain with rich pasture and mountains in the south. County town: Limerick. Pop: 175 304 (2002). Area: 2686 sq km (1037 sq miles)
a port in SW Republic of Ireland, county town of Limerick, at the head of the Shannon estuary. Pop: 86 998 (2002)
What is a limerick? A limerick is a five-line poem that is often humorous. Limericks use the rhyme scheme AABBA, meaning that the first two lines rhyme with each other, and then the next (usually shorter) two lines rhyme with each other, and the last line rhymes with the first two lines. For example:
A limerick has five lines, not nine. Start by rhyming two lines real fine. Then rhyme another two. It’s pretty easy to do. Just don’t forget the punch line.
The limerick is a popular form of poetry that’s generally done just for fun, as opposed to being composed for high artistic value. Many children’s nursery rhymes are formatted as limericks. Limericks are also known for being used as a way to tell very raunchy jokes.1895–1900; after Limerick; allegedly from social gatherings where the group sang “Will you come up to Limerick?” after each set of verses, extemporized in turn by the members of the party
A limerick is a humorous form of poetry that rhymes and has five lines. Many limericks are dirty. When you study literature, you'll probably read some sonnets, sestinas, haiku, and plays written in verse: there might not be much attention given to limericks. That's because limericks are a more popular, non-literary form of poetry: they're mainly humorous and often sexual. A limerick has five lines and follows the rhyme scheme aabba, using what is called anapestic meter (which has to do with syllables). Many limericks involve a man from Nantucket, usually doing something unprintable with a bucket.
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Kraft-Walker also ran limerick competitions to advertise Vegemite.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2023
For today’s homework, try to mix and match a format, a style and a topic — like, “Write a limerick in the style of Snoop Dogg about global warming.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
Angry Dan, from Walthamstow, east London, is known for his vibrant colours and memorable rhymes - writing an original limerick which he paints on each mural.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2022
He asked the student to read a limerick about a monster-like machine that “munches up socks by the pair.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2021
"I insist upon hearing this limerick," Miss Honey said, smiling one of her rare smiles.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
Limerick city mayor John Moran estimates between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the region depend directly or indirectly on the refinery.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Protesters also blockaded fuel sites in Cork, Limerick and Galway.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
In Pool 2, Castres stunned Munster 31-29 in Limerick to reach the next round and knock-out the two-time winners.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
The juice they produced will be used in a rosé that Limerick Lane Cellars in Healdsburg, Calif., plans to make next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
Mam says she likes the names Kevin and Sean but Bridey says, Ah, no, there’s too many of them in Limerick.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
This Poe is a rum sort, pallid and pie-eyed and with a fondness for limericks.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
For those for whom limericks are too long-form, the Empress brings you the third installment of our Loserly version of haiku:
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021
She liked writing jokes and limericks; then, when she was 14, her mother bought a piano “as a piece of furniture,” Armatrading recalled.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2021
The Style Invitational has been abetting Chris’s mission once a year since the infancy of OEDILF.com in 2004, with a contest for limericks that featured words from some sliver of the dictionary.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2020
Olly: haikus are awful, they're just less fun limericks Madeline: You've been downgraded from heathen to heretic.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
