as in poetry
verse that does not rhyme and does not have a regular rhythm
The author's free verse has a unique rhythmic intensity.
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Recent Examples of free verse
The award-winning work, told through a mix of free verse and haiku, offers a poignant and nuanced look at a young person growing up Black in the nineteen-sixties and seventies, finding herself through the art of writing.
—
The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
Here are some of Robert Frost’s insights into how poetry works its magic:
Writing free verse is like playing tennis without a net.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024
Rhyming poems, like Reed’s, have fallen out of style this century in favor of free verse.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
Taking its title from a Toni Morrison quote, Water Made Us employs free verse, voice memos from family and friends, and sterling arrangements crafted with L.A. producer McClenney to examine her past relationships.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for free verse
The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
Here are some of Robert Frost’s insights into how poetry works its magic:
Writing free verse is like playing tennis without a net.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024
Rhyming poems, like Reed’s, have fallen out of style this century in favor of free verse.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
Taking its title from a Toni Morrison quote, Water Made Us employs free verse, voice memos from family and friends, and sterling arrangements crafted with L.A. producer McClenney to examine her past relationships.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for free verse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free verse
Noun
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There’s a fun bit of poetry in this.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
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Poet Rosie Peters will also be leading a group of other local writers in creating site-specific poetry, and roving live musicians will play, too.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Noun
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After deciding to become a priest, Hopkins burned all his poems and vowed to give up writing, but his Jesuit superior, as well as his own study of Welsh language and literature, encouraged him to return to his art.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
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An epic poem in documentary form—a mirror held to an American nation at war with itself, asking not who is right, but whether the experiment can survive.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
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The guitar riff is such a delicious slice of early '80s pop-rock mastery, the lyrics are a hilarious double-entendre minefield, and the chorus is more infectious than influenza.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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Rabin’s lyrics had been standard unrequited-love fare; Anderson rewrote them about a deeper spiritual loneliness and the drive to overcome it, and delivered them in his usual manner, the lightness of his tone somehow amplifying the thundering force of his conviction.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
Noun
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The piece has the pattern of blank verse.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
27 Oct. 2025
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But Kantor wrote it in blank verse — little help for the script.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Hide and Seek follows a new string of murders featuring a dangerous stalker who kidnaps their victims before killing them, taunting them via text in the format of a popular Danish children’s counting rhyme (though the words chosen by the killer are far more violent).—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
7 May 2026
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The rocks closest to the spray were white with rime, and a faint rainbow hung in the air, a diaphanous net catching color.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That song was actually composed by someone from Street Mob from Ensenada.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
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No telling how many pianos David England had sold in 52 years, or how many songs had been played on those pianos, or whether any of those chords still resonated in a listener’s mind or heart.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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