variants
or iambus
plural iambs
ˈī-ˌamz 
or iambuses
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)
Examples of iamb in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Iamb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iamb. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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