prose

American  

[prohz] / proʊz /

noun

1. the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.

2. matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc.

3. Liturgy. a hymn sung after the gradual, originating from a practice of setting words to the jubilatio of the alleluia.

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adjective

1. of, in, or pertaining to prose.

2. commonplace; dull; prosaic.

verb (used with object)

prosed, prosing

1. to turn into or express in prose.

verb (used without object)

prosed, prosing

1. to write or talk in a dull, matter-of-fact manner.

prose British  

/ prəʊz /

noun

1. spoken or written language as in ordinary usage, distinguished from poetry by its lack of a marked metrical structure

2. a passage set for translation into a foreign language

3. commonplace or dull discourse, expression, etc

4. RC Church a hymn recited or sung after the gradual at Mass

5. (modifier) written in prose

6. (modifier) matter-of-fact

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verb

1. to write or say (something) in prose

2. (intr) to speak or write in a tedious style

Other Word Forms

• proselike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of prose

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin prōsa (ōrātiō), literally, “straightforward (speech),” feminine of prōsus, prōrsus, contraction of prōversus “turned forward,” past participle of prōvertere “to turn forward,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + vertere “to turn”

Explanation

Prose is so-called "ordinary writing" — made up of sentences and paragraphs, without any metrical (or rhyming) structure. If you write, "I walked about all alone over the hillsides," that's prose. If you say, "I wondered lonely as a cloud/that floats on high o'er vales and hills" that's poetry. See the difference? (Let's not get into prose poetry!) From prose we get the term prosaic, meaning "ordinary" or "commonplace," or lacking the specially delicacy and beauty of its supposed opposite — poetry.

Example Sentences

This is the passage that zapped Ms. Prose with her eureka moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Investigative journalist Emily Witt accepted the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for her memoir “Health and Safety: A Breakdown,” about her exploration of New York’s nightlife scene.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2025

Brooks and I had a drink after my Politics & Prose talk.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

Francine Prose has delighted readers for over two decades with smart, witty novels like “Blue Angel” and The Vixen.”

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024

Prose becomes stuffy when an insecure writer hammers the reader over the head with redundant indicators of a connection, as if unsure that one would be enough.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• composition
• essay
• fiction
• nonfiction
• speech
• story
• text
• writing