nursery rhyme

American  

noun

• nursery rhymes
  plural

1. a short, simple poem or song for very young children, as Hickory Dickory Dock.

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nursery rhyme British  

noun

1. a short traditional verse or song for children, such as Little Jack Horner

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nursery rhymes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nursery rhyme

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nursery rhyme

From certain angles it seems not much bigger than the shoe occupied by the old woman in the nursery rhyme.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Its name is inspired by the nursery rhyme Old Mother Goose, reflecting the idea of an ancient goose emerging from the mud of a fossil deposit.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

Their lead single “Fabienk” is studded with hair-trigger riffs — if you can even call them that — that mix the playful nursery rhyme melodies of Battles with the no-wave drone of Sonic Youth.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

The nursery rhyme that goes “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are gone” cruelly repeated in my head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025

The few days inside had done her well, and she sang under her breath and into the top of her sweater, a nursery rhyme about a fiddle and a cat.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• cadence
• poem
• poetry
• rhythm
• tune
• verse