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
  • Drawings of eggs featuring his poetry were created at his request.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • There’s a long Greek tradition of setting modern Greek poetry to song, and the words my father sang came from the poet Manolis Anagnostakis.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of poetry
Noun
  • Adapted from Blake’s poem into song by Hubert Parry, ‘Jerusalem’ may be slower-paced than ‘God Save The King’ but its fluctuations in pace and tone at least give it some momentum.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • My perspectives on the poem have been informed and shaped by the work of many brilliant colleagues and predecessors, including those in this volume and many more.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 31 July 2026
Definition of poem
Noun
  • The lyrics may be sparse with fashion references, but Charli saves plenty of room for clothes in the 42-minute companion film released alongside the album.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • Scotland changed its anthem to ‘Flower Of Scotland’ — a folk song written in the 1960s, and whose lyrics take occasional aim at its neighbour and old enemy to the south — across their sports teams in the 1990s.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 31 July 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
  • Growing up in Queens as hip-hop came of age, Rozell Manely Brown desired nothing more than a drum machine to back up his rhyme.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The first half was a scrappy, testy affair with very little rhythm or rhyme from both teams.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of rhyme
Noun
  • Students from Rebel Song Academy, Harmony Project and Base Academy of Music will all take the stage, while Stars Out, a youth performance group, will perform songs connected to Kansas City musicians whose contributions are often overlooked.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • His voice has weathered over the years, but that only added character to songs built on grit and honesty.
    — Jamie Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Definition of song

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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 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on free verse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about free verse

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