rhyme

1 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly
1
a(1)
: rhyming verse
(2)
: poetry
b
: a composition in verse that rhymes
2
a
: correspondence in terminal sounds of units of composition or utterance (such as two or more words or lines of verse)
b
: one of two or more words thus corresponding in sound
c
: correspondence of other than terminal word sounds: such as
(1)
3
rhymeless adjective

rhyme

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly rime
rhymed also rimed; rhyming also riming

transitive verb

1
: to relate or praise in rhyming verse
2
a
: to put into rhyme
b
: to compose (verse) in rhyme
c
: to cause to rhyme : use as rhyme

intransitive verb

1
: to make rhymes
also : to compose rhyming verse
2
of a word or verse : to end in syllables that are rhymes
3
: to be in accord : harmonize
rhymer noun

Examples of rhyme in a Sentence

Noun She used “moon” as a rhyme for “June.” He couldn't think of a rhyme for “orange.” They're learning about meter and rhyme. Verb Please find the two lines that rhyme. She rhymed “moon” with “June.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Rhymefest took various audio clips from the conversation and blended them with his rhymes and an eclectic array of production. Mark Elibert, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 The whole idea of a tourist attraction built as a guileless ode to love, and shrine to a Slovak poem, may strike you, at first blush, as defying both rhyme and reason. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 In the video, which was posted in January 2021, York can be heard busting some rhymes about lettuce wraps. Jamie Ballard, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024 Hip-hop is full of feuds, but long gone are the days of Biggie and Tupac exchanging blistering rhymes amid violence and, ultimately, their respective murders. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 21 Jan. 2024 To delight readers in rhyme is no easy task – particularly given that deck logs are also legal documents. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Jan. 2024 That 1984 film, Beat Street, which features Fabel dancing in the finale and in a Christmas pageant to rhymes by the Treacherous Three, would go on to be one of hip-hop’s defining statements. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2023 Why were rhymes about crimes allowed in one case and denied in the other? Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Florida rapper 454 delivered evocative rhymes in an innocent singsong, but at speeds that spun the brain. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
There are rhyming forms all over the canvas: triangles, crescents, spiky starbursts and tongues, stubby fingers and egg-like heads with open mouths. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 And tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra don’t like anything that even rhymes with cool or drafty! Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 16 Feb. 2024 Others included messages, written or rhymed aloud, that Norfolk said romanticized life as a gang leader. Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024 So to review: Inside the stoic is a comedian, and inside the comedian is a diligent rap student with a rhyming dictionary and a calculator. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The lanky rapper who began his career rhyming before pivoting back-and-forth between rock, pop and every combination in-between appears to be ready to fully take a country detour. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Feb. 2024 Five Funny Bunnies View On Amazon $7 View On Target $7 This sweet board book features a rhyming read-aloud text that takes your little one on an adventure with what else? Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2024 Voilà, our cruel world is improved by the materialization of Ice Spice, a 24-year-old from the Bronx who raps with vivid nonchalance, delivering a rhyming interior monologue that everyone can suddenly hear, communicating broadly but with telepathic intimacy. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024 Rhyming Story About Lunar New Year in Vietnam Written by Tam Bui, illustrated by Mai Ngo This beautifully illustrated, rhyming picture book tells the story of a child from the city celebrating Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, with her family in a northern Vietnamese village. Marsha Takeda-Morrison, Parents, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rhyme.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English rime, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rhyme was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near rhyme

Cite this Entry

“Rhyme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhyme. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rhyme

1 of 2 noun
variants also rime
ˈrīm
1
a
: close similarity in the final sounds of two or more words or lines of verse
b
: one of two or more words having this similarity in sound
2
a
: rhyming verse
b
: a composition in verse that rhymes

rhyme

2 of 2 verb
variants also rime
rhymed also rimed; rhyming also riming
1
a
: to make rhymes : put into rhyme
b
: to compose rhyming verse
2
: to end in syllables that rhyme
3
: to cause to rhyme : use as rhyme
rhymed "moon" with "June"
rhymer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on rhyme

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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