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Literature vocabulary · Poetry

Refrain

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCommon term

In literature, refrain means: A line or group of lines repeated at intervals in a poem.

In Turkish: nakarat, tekrarlanan dize

How it is used

Use to trace how repeated words gain different meanings as surrounding stanzas change.

Example sentences

  1. The refrain 'come home' sounds hopeful at first and desperate after the storm.

    The same words acquire a new emotional force from later events.

  2. We omitted the final refrain so the poem would end in unexpected silence.

    Breaking an established repetition makes the missing line noticeable.

Common collocations

  • a recurring refrain
  • repeat the refrain
  • stanzaA group of lines in a poem, separated from other groups by a space, that works like a paragraph in prose.
  • rhythmThe pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, pauses and speed in a line of poetry or prose, which gives it a sense of movement.

More terms: Poetry

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