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
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
The book, first published in 1927, is organized according to the calendar, with a passage of free verse that evokes the qualities and pleasures of each month, a small monochrome drawing nearby, and, on the facing page, a full-color illustration of the sort to draw fascinated attention.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023
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
His sentences come out as free verse, a sort of Rust Belt beat poetry.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for free verse
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
The book, first published in 1927, is organized according to the calendar, with a passage of free verse that evokes the qualities and pleasures of each month, a small monochrome drawing nearby, and, on the facing page, a full-color illustration of the sort to draw fascinated attention.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023
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
His sentences come out as free verse, a sort of Rust Belt beat poetry.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for free verse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free verse
Noun
-
Worse even than poetry with a palpable design on us, as Keats didn’t quite say, is poetry that puts its hands in its breeches pockets and delivers a lecture in the expectation of applause.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
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Jamie Lloyd has anchored Shakespeare’s profoundly romantic poetry and comedy at the heart of this production, and decorated the play with music, dancing, love, and laughter.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The author of more than 3,000 poems, Williams published four books, according to Christine, and at one point was named poet laureate for Honor Flight Chicago.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
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Fricke's meditation on cycles of creation and destruction is free-associative yet thematically controlled, with the final result existing somewhere at the nexus of musical, essay, and poem.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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To put into perspective for new fans how traditional the sport is, skating with lyrics in songs wasn’t allowed until 2014.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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The lyrics are mostly nonsensical club chatter, but when Scott delivers them with Kesha-worthy sleaze, the attitude is stiletto-sharp.—
Lydia Wei,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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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His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The couplets rhyme—mostly—but his rhythms are irregular, more implicit than embodied.—
Pete Tosiello,
Pitchfork,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And that song definitely stands out on our third EP.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Another Network reporter pointed out the songs were not performed in their entirety.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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