verse

1 of 2

noun

ˈvərs 

plural verses

1

: a line of metrical writing

a fourteen-syllable verse

2

a(1)

: speech or writing distinguished from ordinary language by its distinctive patterning of sounds and especially by its rhythm : metrical language

characters who speak only in verse

(2)

: poetry sense 2

b

: poem

c

: a body of metrical writing (as of a period or country)

The cinquain in older French verse was any kind of five-line stanza.

—John Hollander

3

a

: stanza sense 1

b

: a part of a song that typically occurs in a series, precedes the chorus, and follows any introduction

Sing the first and last verses only.

4

: one of the short divisions into which a chapter of scripture (such as the Bible, Torah, or Quran) is traditionally divided

verse

2 of 2

verb

versed; versing

intransitive verb

: to make verse : versify

transitive verb

1

: to tell or celebrate in verse

2

: to turn into verse

Synonyms

Noun

• lyric
• poem
• rune
• song

Verb

• acquaint
• advise
• apprise
• brief
• catch up
• clear
• clue (in)
• enlighten
• familiarize
• fill in
• hip
• inform
• instruct
• tell
• wise (up)

Examples of verse in a Sentence

Noun

The epic tale was written in verse.

The second verse is sung the same way as the first.

Verb

while in prison, he versed himself in the rights of the incarcerated

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Glad All Over blared over the PA system and, even after the music concluded, its final verses were sung with gusto. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Read our full test and review of more than a dozen stainless steel skillets The best sauté pan: The All-Clad D3 3-quart sauté pan All-Clad D3 3 Quart Sauté Pan $180 $150 Amazon Pros & cons Specs Next verse, same as the first. —Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2025

West’s verse begins not with a snarl but with whimpering falsetto. —Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 15 May 2025

Aware of the ongoing discourse around Joey Bada$$’s comments—which some took as slighting the West Coast’s current success—Soul stepped up with a diplomatic but direct verse. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English vers, fers, in part borrowed from Anglo-French vers, verse in part going back to Old English fers, both borrowed from Latin versus "furrow, measure of land, row, line, line of writing, line of metrical writing," action noun derived from vertere "to cause to turn, rotate," — more at worth entry 1

Verb

Middle English versen, in part verbal derivative of vers, fers verse entry 1 in part going back to Old English fersian "to versify," verbal derivative of fers verse entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing verse

• blank verse
• chapter and verse
• free verse
• heroic verse
• nonsense verse
• tumbling verse

Rhymes for verse

• curse
• hearse
• purse
• terse
• vers
• worse
• adverse
• averse
• coerce
• disburse
• disperse
• diverse

Kids Definition

verse

noun

ˈvərs

1

: a line of writing in which words are arranged in a rhythmic pattern

2

: writing in which words are arranged in a rhythmic pattern

3

: stanza

4

: one of the short parts of a chapter of the Bible