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sonnets

  • plural
    of sonnet.
    sonnet
    noun
    a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet.
  • present tense form
    of sonnet (3rd person singular).
    sonnet
    noun
    a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet.

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

There are many places where “rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,” from one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, elicits a nod of recognition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

No one is writing social media sonnets about eating a yellow squash over the kitchen sink while wearing their ex’s oversized T-shirt, still scented with a perfume they stopped wearing last fall.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025

He consumed everything from “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill to Shakespearean sonnets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025

On Valentine's Day, Dame Judi read Sonnet 116, one of Shakespeare's most famous love sonnets.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2024

Actually the bard also wrote love sonnets, but if Shakespeare’s reciting sonnets to him, that’s a whole other issue.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman