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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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.
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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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This is not a proclamation of the obvious, namely that pop is the opposite of poetry.Jennifer Harlan, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Kwanzaa celebrations vary, but typically include lighting candles, one per night; placing meaningful items on a traditional woven mat on tables; sharing meals and a karamu feast; poetry; dance and music, according to the Official Kwanzaa website.Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The video is set to the sound of Louis Armstrong reading the iconic poem mentioned in the caption — written by Clement Clarke Moore.Raven Brunner, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
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The plot, of course, is a riff on Clement Clarke Moore’s poem about a man who steps from his bed while his wife and children slumber to observe St. Nicholas doing what St. Nicholas does.Colin Fleming, Baltimore Sun, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The lyrics brim over with characters, narratives, and vividly rendered American scenery. 10.Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
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Viewers met Samberg as Clementine, who's playing keyboard and crooning his heart out in his apartment to ridiculous lyrics that seem to be about a girl who's — an actual drink?Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 24 Dec. 2024
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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The spot becomes an instant hit with the townspeople, especially when Khalid starts an open-mic night, rhymes, beats and folk music sharing the moonlit air.Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Poppa’s not pleased, which leads to an awkward and painfully unfunny exchange of freestyle rhymes.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Empire Burlesque, released weeks after the song’s chart reign, almost sounds bright and polished enough to capitalize on that moment, but the mediocre songs sank Dylan deeper into his ’80s rut.Al Shipley, SPIN, 25 Dec. 2024
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Better Man is that movie — it’s called this partially because of Williams’ 2000 song, but mostly because director Michael Gracey had already used the title The Greatest Showman in his previous film.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Free verse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20verse. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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