sonnet

noun

son·​net ˈsä-nət How to pronounce sonnet (audio)
: a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of 14 lines that are typically 5-foot iambics rhyming according to a prescribed scheme
also : a poem in this pattern

Examples of sonnet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Almost too passionately anguished, Austen is a sonnet played on the fortepiano, while Winslet is Liszt banged out on a Steinway. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 19 July 2025 The poem was published in Shakespeare’s 1609 quarto of 154 sonnets, which wasn’t widely popular in its day. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025 At Paul Revere Junior High, Russell won first place at a Shakespeare Festival for his sonnet recitation. Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025 Her poems of that era — sonnets, epigrams, eminently quotable snippets of rhymed gossip — pulse with the dynamism and attitude of the modern city. A.o. Scott, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sonnet

Word History

Etymology

Italian sonetto, from Old Occitan sonet little song, from son sound, song, from Latin sonus sound

First Known Use

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sonnet was circa 1555

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Cite this Entry

“Sonnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonnet. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

sonnet

noun
son·​net ˈsän-ət How to pronounce sonnet (audio)
: a poem of 14 lines usually rhyming by a fixed scheme

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