rhythm

noun

ˈri-t͟həm 

1

a

: an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech

b

: a particular example or form of rhythm

iambic rhythm

2

a

: the aspect of music comprising all the elements (such as accent, meter, and tempo) that relate to forward movement

b

: a characteristic rhythmic pattern

rumba rhythm

also : meter entry 1 sense 2

c

: the group of instruments in a band supplying the rhythm

called also rhythm section

3

a

: movement, fluctuation, or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements

the rhythms of country life

b

: the repetition in a literary work of phrase, incident, character type, or symbol

4

: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process

a circadian rhythm

compare biorhythm

5

: the effect created by the elements in a play, movie, or novel that relate to the temporal development of the action

6

: rhythm method

Synonyms

• beat
• cadence
• measure
• meter

Examples of rhythm in a Sentence

Jets that cross time zones in a day play havoc with the natural rhythms acquired through evolution. —Nancy Shelton, Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 1996

They shattered punk orthodoxy with radical politics and jagged rhythms, their rage captured in brutally succinct outbursts. —Matt Diehl, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 1994

I would even say that when the bouncy style is not an attempt to dazzle the reader, or one's self, but to incorporate into American literary prose the rhythms, nuances, and emphases of urban and immigrant speech, the result can sometimes be a language of new and rich emotional subtleties … —Philip Roth, Reading Myself and Others, 1975

She walked as Doctor Reefy thought he had never seen anyone walk before. To her whole body there was a swing, a rhythm that intoxicated him. —Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio, 1919

At that the others began to gibber in unison, also rising to their feet, spreading their hands and swaying their bodies in rhythm with their chant. —H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, 1896

the composer's use of jazz rhythm

She enjoyed the quiet rhythms of country life.

Travel can disrupt your body's daily rhythm.

Recent Examples on the Web

Counsell insisted Pressly just needed to get on the mound and would eventually find his rhythm. —Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

The Kansas City Royals are starting to find some rhythm. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2025

Neither has found their rhythm on that end of the floor, which has limited the Lakers' overall effectiveness. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Is there a quarterly rhythm for reaffirming what the company stands for? —Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French rhythme, from Latin rhythmus, from Greek rhythmos, probably from rhein to flow — more at stream

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing rhythm

• falling rhythm
• in rhythm
• rhythm and blues
• rhythm band
• rhythm method
• rhythm stick
• rising rhythm
• sense of rhythm
• sinus rhythm
• sprung rhythm
• theta rhythm

Rhymes for rhythm

• algorithm
• logarithm

Kids Definition

rhythm

noun

ˈrit͟h-əm 

1

: a flow of rising and falling sounds in language that is produced in verse by a regular repeating of stressed and unstressed syllables

2

: a flow of sound in music having regular accented beats

3

: a particular or typical pattern of rhythm

4

: a movement or activity in which some action repeats regularly

the rhythm of breathing

Medical Definition

rhythm

noun

ˈrit͟h-əm 

1

: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process: as

a

: the pattern of recurrence of the cardiac cycle

an irregular rhythm

b

: the recurring pattern of physical and functional changes associated with the mammalian and especially human sexual cycle

2

: rhythm method