1
a
: an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech
b
: a particular example or form of rhythm
iambic rhythm
2
b
: a characteristic rhythmic pattern
rumba rhythm
also
: meter entry 1 sense 2
c
: the group of instruments in a band supplying the rhythm
called also rhythm section
3
a
: movement, fluctuation, or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements
the rhythms of country life
b
: the repetition in a literary work of phrase, incident, character type, or symbol
4
: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process
a circadian rhythm
compare biorhythm
5
: the effect created by the elements in a play, movie, or novel that relate to the temporal development of the action
6
Examples of rhythm in a Sentence
Jets that cross time zones in a day play havoc with the natural rhythms acquired through evolution.
—
Nancy Shelton, Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 1996
They shattered punk orthodoxy with radical politics and jagged rhythms, their rage captured in brutally succinct outbursts.
—Matt Diehl, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 1994
I would even say that when the bouncy style is not an attempt to dazzle the reader, or one's self, but to incorporate into American literary prose the rhythms, nuances, and emphases of urban and immigrant speech, the result can sometimes be a language of new and rich emotional subtleties …
—Philip Roth, Reading Myself and Others, 1975
She walked as Doctor Reefy thought he had never seen anyone walk before. To her whole body there was a swing, a rhythm that intoxicated him.
—Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio, 1919
At that the others began to gibber in unison, also rising to their feet, spreading their hands and swaying their bodies in rhythm with their chant.
—H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, 1896
the composer's use of jazz rhythm
She enjoyed the quiet rhythms of country life.
Travel can disrupt your body's daily rhythm.
Nancy Shelton, Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 1996
They shattered punk orthodoxy with radical politics and jagged rhythms, their rage captured in brutally succinct outbursts.
—Matt Diehl, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 1994
I would even say that when the bouncy style is not an attempt to dazzle the reader, or one's self, but to incorporate into American literary prose the rhythms, nuances, and emphases of urban and immigrant speech, the result can sometimes be a language of new and rich emotional subtleties …
—Philip Roth, Reading Myself and Others, 1975
She walked as Doctor Reefy thought he had never seen anyone walk before. To her whole body there was a swing, a rhythm that intoxicated him.
—Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio, 1919
At that the others began to gibber in unison, also rising to their feet, spreading their hands and swaying their bodies in rhythm with their chant.
—H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, 1896
the composer's use of jazz rhythm
She enjoyed the quiet rhythms of country life.
Travel can disrupt your body's daily rhythm.
Recent Examples on the Web
An overactive thyroid can speed up heart rate and cause irregular heart rhythms.
—Alexandria Nyembwe, Phd, Rn, Health, 4 Nov. 2024
This story of a man (Hanks) who decides to kill himself by throwing himself into a volcano before being interrupted by a series of increasingly odd events has its own goofy rhythm that Hanks steadies and smooths out, though maybe a little too much.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Like the team’s Week 3 win at Tampa Bay, when Nix started the game with several downfield completions, the Broncos found a way to establish a rhythm early and carried it the rest of the way.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
That can also improve our circadian rhythm, or our internal clock, which can in turn help our sleep.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rhythm 
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Alexandria Nyembwe, Phd, Rn, Health, 4 Nov. 2024
This story of a man (Hanks) who decides to kill himself by throwing himself into a volcano before being interrupted by a series of increasingly odd events has its own goofy rhythm that Hanks steadies and smooths out, though maybe a little too much.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Like the team’s Week 3 win at Tampa Bay, when Nix started the game with several downfield completions, the Broncos found a way to establish a rhythm early and carried it the rest of the way.
—Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 1 Nov. 2024
That can also improve our circadian rhythm, or our internal clock, which can in turn help our sleep.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rhythm
Articles Related to rhythm
Dictionary Entries Near rhythm
Cite this Entry
“Rhythm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhythm. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rhythm
noun1
: a flow of rising and falling sounds in language that is produced in verse by a regular repeating of stressed and unstressed syllables
2
: a flow of sound in music having regular accented beats
3
: a particular or typical pattern of rhythm
4
: a movement or activity in which some action repeats regularly
the rhythm of breathing
Medical Definition
rhythm
noun1
: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process: as
a
: the pattern of recurrence of the cardiac cycle
an irregular rhythm
b
: the recurring pattern of physical and functional changes associated with the mammalian and especially human sexual cycle
2
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