free verse

noun

Definition of free versenext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of free verse The history of art reads here as one long, free verse poem-in-progress, gorgeous and absorbing. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Told in a first-person, free verse style, her struggle to overcome a family tragedy, an ecological catastrophe, and the Great Depression is harrowing yet hopeful. — Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026 Though most of Milosz’s poetry was written in free verse, no effort has been made to force the English versions into the complicated poetic forms the poet sometimes preferred — that would have required a different sense of obligation. — William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for free verse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free verse
  1. poetry
  2. poem
  3. lyric
  4. blank verse
  5. rhyme
  6. song
Noun
  • Ever the writer, Parton managed to find some poetry and deeper meaning in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an I-65 rest stop.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The film chronicles Oliver’s early years as a writer, the people and places that shaped her work and the celebrated poetry that eventually earned her widespread recognition.
    — Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poetry
Noun
  • With Nolan and Emma Thomas producing for Syncopy, The Odyssey adapts Homer’s epic poem in telling the story of Odysseus (Damon) making his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Even worse, Juliet has a three-page invitation poem about leaving all of their baggage and drama behind and meeting them in the castle.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • No one had to wait to hear or at least see the lyrics, at least, since they were printed right on the front of the CD, in images disseminated by the shop.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Musgraves’ approach is to be anything but subtle in her imagery, so the lyrics can speak for themselves and open doors for other women to be just as candid.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of lyric
Noun
  • The piece has the pattern of blank verse.
    — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
  • But Kantor wrote it in blank verse — little help for the script.
    — Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Definition of blank verse
Noun
  • The rhyme between her graceful form and the sculpture’s anatomy underscores the clip’s unmistakably erotic frisson.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Still her story inspired countless macabre tales, including the grisly playground rhyme that is heard in the trailer.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of rhyme
Noun
  • Watermarks would indicate that the rights to a song were owned by a particular music label or that the rights to a movie were held by a film studio.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Cameras have spotted Kaydee and Shadow singing morning songs and flying around together since the death of Shadow’s former partner, Jackie.
    — Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of song

Browse Nearby Words

free trade
free verse
free verses
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Cite this Entry

“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on free verse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about free verse

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