stanza

noun

stan·​za ˈstan-zə 

1

: a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter and rhyme : strophe

2

sports : a period (such as a half or an inning) into which the duration of a game is divided

The game's prime moment wasn't the decisive and popular eighth-inning, two-run homer by Mark Bellhorn … but a sensational play by Boston's Manny Ramirez in the top of that same stanza.

—Roger Angell

stanzaic

stan-ˈzā-ik 

adjective

Examples of stanza in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

San Jose scored early in the second stanza to trim the Loons’ lead to 3-1, but Oluwaseyi officially put the game away in stoppage time with another dominant run that resulted in his second assist of the need, a feed to Joseph Rosales for an easy goal. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025

Serrano wanted this fight to be contested with three-minute rounds, but like the first two matchups, the trilogy fight will have two-minute stanzas. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

And at the end of the first period, the Avs closed a feisty stanza with a power-play goal, a missile off the stick of Nathan Mackinnon. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025

Saudi Arabia, a guest nation in Concacaf’s championship, had the best chances of the first stanza. —Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, stay, abode, room, stanza, from Vulgar Latin *stantia stay — more at stance

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stanza

• ballad stanza
• heroic stanza
• Rubaiyat stanza
• Spenserian stanza

Rhymes for stanza

• bonanza
• extravaganza

Kids Definition

stanza

noun

stan·​za ˈstan-zə 

: a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in a usually repeating pattern of rhythm and rhyme

stanzaic

stan-ˈzā-ik 

adjective