prosed; prosing
pro se
4 of 4adjective or adverb
ˈprō-ˈsā 
-ˈsē
: on one's own behalf : without an attorney
a pro se action
a defendant's right to proceed pro se
Examples of prose in a Sentence
Noun
… the esteemed critic James Wood reaches out to assure "the common reader" … that his prose is as free as he can make it of what James Joyce termed "the true scholastic stink" of so much academic writing.
—
Walter Kirn, New York Times Book Review, 17 Aug. 2008
Like many two-person writing teams, this one produces its share of three-legged prose and redundancy.
—James McManus, New York Times Book Review, 15 Apr. 2001
In my own work I felt a need to hurry from climax as in film montage, or even in Joycean prose with its strings of firecracker words …
—Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
She writes in very clear prose.
Verb
'In the meantime,' said Traddles, coming back to his chair; 'and this is the end of my prosing about myself, I get on as well as I can. I don't make much, but I don't spend much … '
—Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850
Walter Kirn, New York Times Book Review, 17 Aug. 2008
Like many two-person writing teams, this one produces its share of three-legged prose and redundancy.
—James McManus, New York Times Book Review, 15 Apr. 2001
In my own work I felt a need to hurry from climax as in film montage, or even in Joycean prose with its strings of firecracker words …
—Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
She writes in very clear prose.
Verb
'In the meantime,' said Traddles, coming back to his chair; 'and this is the end of my prosing about myself, I get on as well as I can. I don't make much, but I don't spend much … '
—Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1850
Recent Examples on the Web
Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
Despite occasionally pedestrian prose, the novel was a swift read that, like a memoir, drew power from its authenticity.
—Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Paul Berman, airmail.news, 22 Feb. 2025
The style was archaic, Elizabethan even, not prose and yet not quite poetry.
—Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
That resulted in a court hearing at which Toth (who is not a lawyer) appeared pro se.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prose
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Noun
However, the lurid thoughts communicated in Johanne’s prose are enough to send Kristin and Karin into a spiral over how Johanne could possibly have come to felt this way.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
Despite occasionally pedestrian prose, the novel was a swift read that, like a memoir, drew power from its authenticity.
—Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Or just a Fascist? February 22, 2025 Reading Time: 5 minutes
Does a glorious prose style reflect a glorious quality in a writer’s soul?
—Paul Berman, airmail.news, 22 Feb. 2025
The style was archaic, Elizabethan even, not prose and yet not quite poetry.
—Joanna Biggs, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Adjective or adverb
The Scott County Law Library offers free legal clinics open to self-representing (pro se) litigants multiple times a month.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
That resulted in a court hearing at which Toth (who is not a lawyer) appeared pro se.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prose
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Cite this Entry
“Prose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prose. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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