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• limerick
  limerick

  noun

  a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.
• Limerick
  Limerick

  noun

  a county in N Munster, in the SW Republic of Ireland. 037 sq. mi. (2,686 sq. km).

limerick

¹ American  

[lim-er-ik] / ˈlɪm ər ɪk /

noun

• limericks
  plural

1. a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.

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Limerick ² American  

[lim-er-ik] / ˈlɪm ər ɪk /

noun

1. a county in N Munster, in the SW Republic of Ireland. 037 sq. mi. (2,686 sq. km).

2. its county seat: a seaport at the head of the Shannon estuary.

3. Angling. a fishhook having a sharp bend below the barb.

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Limerick ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪmərɪk /

noun

1. 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)

2. a port in SW Republic of Ireland, county town of Limerick, at the head of the Shannon estuary. Pop: 86 998 (2002)

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limerick ² British  

/ ˈlɪmərɪk /

noun

1. a form of comic verse consisting of five anapaestic lines of which the first, second, and fifth have three metrical feet and rhyme together and the third and fourth have two metrical feet and rhyme together

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limerick Cultural  

1. A form of humorous five-line verse, such as:

   There once was a young man from Kew

   Who found a dead mouse in his stew.

   Said the waiter, “Don't shout

   Or wave it about,

   Or the rest will be wanting one too!”

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• limericks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of limerick

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

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limerick Limerick limericks

Entrants would write the final line of a limerick to enter into the draw to win a brand new car.

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

Maybe she will try writing again, nothing too ambitious, a fun poem in the limerick mode.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Christopher received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Limerick in Ireland as a U.S.-Ireland Alliance Scholar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

The 31-year-old Limerick fighter was stretchered out of the ring after the fight and transferred to hospital.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Limerick indie-folk group Kingfishr - Eddie Keogh, Eoghan 'McGoo' McGrath and Eoin 'Fitz' Fitzgibbon – topped the Irish charts on three separate occasions last year with their hit track, the anthemic, Killeagh.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 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

I stand outside the place of the exam, the house of the Limerick Protestant Young Men’s Association.

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

Essentially, raucous processions involving songs and the rattling of cacophonous instruments, the performance of short plays and bawdy limericks, and the burning of effigies occurred outside the homes of the accused.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2021

This year we did limericks that feature words and names beginning “he-.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2021

Mr. Bell — in normal times — would accompany his twin 10-year-olds, Samuel and Benjamin, to a special music school near Lincoln Center, connecting with them by playing trivia games and coming up with limericks.

From New York Times ● May 12, 2020

"Well Matilda, I would very much like to hear one of these limericks you say you have written. Could you try to remember one for us?"

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• sonnet
• verse
• writing