Okuzeka
Literature vocabulary · Poetry

Rhyme

Meaning in literature, with examples

/raɪm/nounCore term

In literature, rhyme means: The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the ends of words, especially at the ends of lines in a poem, as in 'night' and 'light'.

In Turkish: uyak, kafiye

How it is used

Used as a noun (the poem has no rhyme) and a verb (night rhymes with light). Critics talk about end rhyme, internal rhyme and half rhyme, and about poems that are rhymed or unrhymed. Nursery rhymes are traditional poems for children.

Example sentences

  1. The poet uses rhyme only in the last two lines, which gives the ending extra force.

  2. In English, 'love' rhymes with 'dove' but not with 'move'.

Common collocations

  • end rhyme
  • internal rhyme
  • half rhyme
  • rhyme scheme
  • rhymes with
  • rhyme schemeThe pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem or stanza, shown with letters, for example ABAB, where lines with the same letter rhyme.
  • coupletA pair of consecutive lines of poetry, usually of the same length and rhyming with each other, that form a unit of meaning.
  • free versePoetry that does not follow a regular meter or rhyme scheme, relying instead on natural speech rhythms, line breaks and imagery.
  • poetryLiterary writing arranged in lines that uses rhythm, sound, imagery and often rhyme to express feelings and ideas in a concentrated way.
  • meterA regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry, measured in units called feet, such as the iamb (da-DUM) or the trochee (DUM-da).

More terms: Poetry

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