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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 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
-
Similarly, the cast wrings some poetry out of the prosaic, often aphoristic dialogue.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Go back to music, rhythm, as Yeats did, for a renewal of inspiration in poetry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This isn’t the terrifying Frost of modernist criticism—although the poem is fully aware of darkness, and its world, on the cusp of World War I, like ours, certainly had its terrors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Among her legion of fans are Stephen Colbert, Steve Buscemi, and Helena Bonham Carter who read from her poems in the documentary.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The lyrics suggest a child reaching out to his mother from within the womb, vulnerable and uncertain.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
-
And then suddenly, lyrics were coming out, ideas were coming out.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 May 2026
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
Noun
-
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
-
The actress and her longtime stylist Law Roach have been thoughtfully playing out the wedding rhyme during the premieres of the film, in which Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play an engaged couple.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Josh is a skeptic who gets itchy whenever actors burst into song; Melissa is a believer who longs for a romance so transcendent that it can be expressed only in an airy glissando, opted up an octave.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The album, which is comprised almost wholly of covers spanning yacht rock mainstays, also includes one original Urban song to round the package out.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
