iamb

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈī-ˌam(b) 

variants or iambus

ī-ˈam-bəs 

plural iambs ˈī-ˌamz  or iambuses

: a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable or of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable (as in above)

iambic

ī-ˈam-bik 

adjective or noun

iambic

2 of 3

noun (2)

iam·​bic

īˈambik, 

-bēk

plural -s

1

: iamb

2

: a piece of usually satiric verse written in iambs (as that developed by the Ionian Greeks in the period succeeding the epic) : a lampoon written in iambs

iambic

3 of 3

adjective

: relating to or consisting of iambs or iambics

iambic verse

iambically

-bə̇k(ə)lē, 

-bēk-, 

-li

adverb

Examples of iamb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s no therapy like clawing back through both your triumphant and dismal decades and reliving them stanza by stanza, line by line, iamb by iamb. —Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025

The snow—the heroic iamb—is the epic material of trial and catharsis that people shouldn’t hope for in real life. —Wells Tower, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2020

For Hall, the two-beat iamb tolls the relentless melodies of departure from the world: a great-uncle early on; his grandfather; his father. —Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 27 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin iambus, from Greek iambos

Noun (2)

Latin iambicus, adjective

Adjective

Latin iambicus, from Greek iambikos, from iambos + -ikos -ic

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1586, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

iamb

noun

ˈī-ˌam(b) 

: a metrical foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable (as in away)

iambic

ī-ˈam-bik 

adjective or noun