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verse 1 of 2

noun

ˈvərs How to pronounce verse (audio)
Definition of versenext
1
as in poem
a composition using rhythm and often rhyme to create a lyrical effect composed a short verse for his mother's birthday

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2
as in poetry
writing that uses rhythm, vivid language, and often rhyme to provoke an emotional response skilled at verse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

verse

2 of 2

verb

as in to tell
to give information to while in prison, he versed himself in the rights of the incarcerated

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 verse
Noun
Back on track, Wagoner begins the next verse, demanding to know what Parton has done with the rent money. — Stephanie Vander Wel, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026 Parton wisely opened the song with a verse that is completely universal about worklife, saving more specific complaints for later. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026 The producer David McConnell, who worked on Elliott’s final album, compares the typical song to racing around a track, hitting the same predictable markers over and over—verse, chorus, verse, chorus. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 In the first four verses, the speaker casts God in the role of a shepherd. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for verse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verse
  1. poem
  2. poetry
  3. tell
  4. song
  5. inform
  6. brief
  7. advise
Noun
  • The poems push against the binaries of leaving and being left and embrace ongoing love in the wake of loss.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Taken together, these masterworks mirror Prieto’s own process, which often uses chance as a springboard for composition and which harnesses ephemera — memories, scents, poems, or even architectural fragments — to create new work.
    — Jill Singer, Curbed, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • Most of the books were published between the nineteen-seventies and the twenty-tens, and the genres spanned history, biography, fiction, poetry, literary criticism, law, and the social sciences.
    — Francesca Mancino, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This reputation is tied to the biting wit and unruly imagination found across his prose, poetry and political writings.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of poetry
Verb
  • Home plate umpire Doug Eddings called time to tell Hancel Rincon to fix his hat.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Several parents previously told the Democrat-Gazette and other local media that the couple then disappeared and stopped responding to emails or phone calls.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of tell
Noun
  • The full list of pairs and their premiere dance styles and songs can be found here.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Maresca’s team-mates from his early playing days at West Bromwich Albion in England fondly recall his unselfconscious warbling of Italian pop songs in the locker-room showers.
    — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of song
Verb
  • Instead, the shoes with Protro editions that are still wildly popular among players today have informed best practices that carry over, including collar height and offset from heel to toe.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Antonelli hurriedly informed his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, who had been regularly reminding the Italian to adhere to track limits throughout the race and to look after his car.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of inform
Verb
  • The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief the media.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Grossi was also briefed on China’s HTGR technology and its Linglong One, or ACP100, small modular reactor.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of brief
Verb
  • But Hansford advises cities that reparations programs resting on that argument are unlikely to survive legal scrutiny.
    — Adrian Florido, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Activist networks and legal scholars are rehearsing doomsday scenarios, planning mass protests and advising judges on ballot seizures and ICE deployments, underscoring fears that the midterms could stress-test American democracy.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of advise

Phrases Containing verse

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versatility
verse
versed
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Cite this Entry

“Verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verse. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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