Definition of prose
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Examples of prose in a Sentence
… the esteemed critic James Wood reaches out to assure “the common reader” … that his prose is as free as he can make it of what James Joyce termed “the true scholastic stink” of so much academic writing. —Walter Kirn, New York Times Book Review, 17 Aug. 2008
Like many two-person writing teams, this one produces its share of three-legged prose and redundancy. —James McManus, New York Times Book Review, 15 Apr. 2001
In my own work I felt a need to hurry from climax as in film montage, or even in Joycean prose with its strings of firecracker words … —Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
She writes in very clear prose.
Recent Examples of prose from the Web
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Born in 1934 in Westmount, Quebec, Mr. Cohen began his public career in prose, publishing several collections of poems and novels before turning to music.
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Ms. Morgan’s prose has some of that filmmaker’s elastic sense of time.
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These early writings seem difficult to reconcile with the Harris prose that came later.
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Your primary Murray text here is the extraordinary Killing the Black Dog, first published in 1997: part prose depression memoir, part anthology of his most painful (and in some cases, least enjoyable) poems.
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The prose is lean and direct; the instructions don’t just tell you what to do but explain why, what to look for, and how to make corrections.
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As his prose became stronger and his opinions less hesitant, Patterson won a Pulitzer Prize in 1967 for his editorials supporting civil rights for African-Americans and combating white demagogues in Georgia and throughout the South.
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Faulks is a gifted documentary writer, and London during the forties comes alive in his sturdy prose style.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prose'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of prose
Other Literature Terms
Origin and Etymology of prose
see 1prose
First Known Use: 14th century
Other Literature Terms
Definition of prose
prosed
;prosing
intransitive verb
1 : to write prose
2 : to write or speak in a dull or ordinary manner
Examples of prose in a Sentence
‘In the meantime,’ said Traddles, coming back to his chair; ‘and this is the end of my prosing about myself, I get on as well as I can. I don't make much, but I don't spend much … ’ —Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850
Origin and Etymology of prose
see 1prose
First Known Use: 15th century
Other Literature Terms
PROSE Defined for English Language Learners
prose
playDefinition of prose for English Language Learners
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: writing that is not poetry : ordinary writing
PROSE Defined for Kids
prose
playDefinition of prose for Students
1 : the ordinary language that people use in speaking or writing
2 : writing without the repeating rhythm that is used in poetry
Learn More about prose
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See words that rhyme with prose Spanish Central: Translation of prose Nglish: Translation of prose for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prose for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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