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rhyme

rhyme

36 1.4
A matching of sounds at the ends of lines in a poem
  • noun
  • /raɪm/
translation icon : rima
  • Sara used questioning to try to get her students to notice the rhyme on their own.
  • rhyme scheme
  • rhyme and meter
  • use of rhyme

There is a world, a repetition undisturbed by rhyme.

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Examples

  • Developing a sensitivity to rhyme is an important step toward understanding the complexities of phonemic awareness.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We focus on the identical rhyme scheme, the iambic pentameter, and the "turn" at line nine.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • So there is some rhyme and reason behind these weird names.

  • And the poems should have the following rhyme scheme:

  • The story is written in rhyme and continues to emphasize the theme: "Be happy with who you are."

    Academic text (2008)
  • In his latest poem, the rhyme adds a musical quality to the verses.

  • The children's song featured a simple rhyme that everyone could sing along to.

  • She explained the importance of rhyme in creating rhythm and flow in poetry.

Synonyms

rime
vsrhyme
  • Archaic
1 8.2

The same ending sounds in two or more lines of a poem

is the modern or standard spelling for that same end-sound correspondence

Idioms

rhyme or reason
  • Informal
9 6.6

Having no clear reason or order

1 6.8

In a random way with no clear reason

Saying a rhyme to blame someone shows you are the guilty person

Compounds

nursery rhyme
  • Literature
12 1.3

A short traditional song or poem for young children

internal rhyme
  • Literature
1 7.3

A pair of words in the same line of a poem that end with the same sound

perfect rhyme
  • Literature
1 4.8

The vowel sound and the sound after it at the ends of lines match exactly

beginning rhyme
  • Literature
6.0

Repetition of the same sound at the start of stressed words or syllables in a line of verse

consonant rhyme
  • Literature
7.6

A repeat of consonant sounds at the ends of words to make lines sound similar

double rhyme
  • Literature
7.5

A rhyme where the last two syllables of each word sound the same

eye rhyme
  • Literature
8.9

Words that look similar in writing but sound different

masculine rhyme
  • Literature
8.4

A rhyme where the last syllable has the main stressed vowel sound

head rhyme
  • Literature
8.6

The same first sound at the start of important words in a line of poetry

initial rhyme
  • Literature
7.4

Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of each stressed syllable in a line of verse

rhyme off
  • Informal
9.3

A contest where people make rhymes aloud

rhyme royal
  • Literature
9.9

A group of seven lines in a poem with the rhyme pattern ababbcc

vowel rhyme
  • Literature
7.1

A repetition of similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables, as in day and say

How Exact

perfect rhyme
  • Literature
1 4.8
rhyme
36 1.4
consonance
  • Literature
7.7
assonance
  • Literature
1 8.8

Surface Forms

rhyme singular
rhymes plural

Etymology

Rhyme comes from the Old English word rīm, which meant 'verse' or 'series' of lines. Think of a repeating pattern in a poem — that pattern changed to mean matching sounds at the ends of words, which is why rhyme means matching end sounds today.