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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of free verse
Like family feuds, squabbles among poets are too tedious to recount, but Wiman remembers being accused of commissioning too much prose, of privileging formalism over free verse, and of publishing vicious reviews and vacuous poetry.
—
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
The book, first published in 1927, is organized according to the calendar, with a passage of free verse that evokes the qualities and pleasures of each month, a small monochrome drawing nearby, and, on the facing page, a full-color illustration of the sort to draw fascinated attention.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023
His sentences come out as free verse, a sort of Rust Belt beat poetry.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
In The Letters of Thom Gunn, a new, behemoth collection of private correspondence across six decades, Gunn grapples with his states of in-betweenness: between being English and American; between writing free verse and formal verse; between exercising emotion and rationality.
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for free verse 
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
The book, first published in 1927, is organized according to the calendar, with a passage of free verse that evokes the qualities and pleasures of each month, a small monochrome drawing nearby, and, on the facing page, a full-color illustration of the sort to draw fascinated attention.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023
His sentences come out as free verse, a sort of Rust Belt beat poetry.
—Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023
In The Letters of Thom Gunn, a new, behemoth collection of private correspondence across six decades, Gunn grapples with his states of in-betweenness: between being English and American; between writing free verse and formal verse; between exercising emotion and rationality.
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for free verse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free verse
Noun
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Revolutionary art, revolutionary poetry won’t patch the leak in the world.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
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The performance will include poetry, music, dance and theater, and focus on creating an environment where all feel safe and heard.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The hymn was first written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in the late 1800s.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
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The task, after all—the business at hand—is to write a poem.—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Samberg hilariously jumped in to sing the Bradley Cooper half of the duet, but botched both the high notes and the lyrics before giving up.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
15 Feb. 2025
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Natalie Morales: And some of the lyrics — just excruciating.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Onto the page spilled more than ten thousand lines of the richest and most resourceful blank verse in the English language, arranged into ten books in 1667, then rearranged into twelve in 1674.—
Merve Emre,
The New Yorker,
16 Dec. 2024
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The first assignment was to write a poem in blank verse.—
Elizabeth Lund,
The Christian Science Monitor,
12 Sep. 2024
Noun
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In 1925, Hass (rhymes with pass) was 33 years old and earning 25 cents an hour as a mail carrier in Pasadena.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
1 Feb. 2025
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Sometimes bordering on the religious, Smith's rhymes are crisp and easily understood− an aberration from some of the mumble rap that has risen to prominence in recent years.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Watch Sandler's full song, featuring Rosenthal's cameo, above.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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The Blues Brothers bustled through two more songs (three total — just like Chalamet).—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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