rhyme

Sometimes rime

[rahym]

noun

1. identity in sound of some part, especially the end, of words or lines of verse.

2. a word agreeing with another in terminal sound: Find is a rhyme for mind and womankind.

3. verse or poetry having correspondence in the terminal sounds of the lines.

4. a poem or piece of verse having such correspondence.

5. verse.

verb (used with object)

rhymed, rhyming 

1. to treat in rhyme, as a subject; turn into rhyme, as something in prose.

2. to compose (verse or the like) in metrical form with rhymes.

3. to use (a word) as a rhyme to another word; use (words) as rhymes.

verb (used without object)

rhymed, rhyming 

1. to make rhyme or verse; versify.

2. to use rhyme in writing verse.

3. to form a rhyme, as one word or line with another.

   a word that rhymes with orange.

4. to be composed in metrical form with rhymes, as verse.

   poetry that rhymes.

rhyme

/ raɪm /

noun

1. identity of the terminal sounds in lines of verse or in words

2. a word that is identical to another in its terminal sound

   ``while'' is a rhyme for ``mile''

3. a verse or piece of poetry having corresponding sounds at the ends of the lines

   the boy made up a rhyme about his teacher

4. any verse or piece of poetry

5. sense, logic, or meaning

   this proposal has no rhyme or reason

verb

1. to use (a word) or (of a word) to be used so as to form a rhyme; be or make identical in sound

2. to render (a subject) into rhyme

3. to compose (verse) in a metrical structure

rhyme

1. A similarity of sound between words, such as moon, spoon, croon, tune, and June. Rhyme is often employed in verse.

Other Word Forms

• rhymer noun
• interrhyme verb (used without object)
• misrhymed adjective
• nonrhyme noun
• nonrhymed adjective
• nonrhyming adjective
• outrhyme verb (used with object)
• unrhyme verb (used with object)
• well-rhymed adjective
• rhymeless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyme¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English rime, from Old French, derivative of rimer “to rhyme,” from unattested Gallo-Romance rimāre “to put in a row,” ultimately derived from Old High German rīm “series, row”; probably not connected with Latin rhythmus “rhythm,” although current spelling (from about 1600) is apparently by association with this word

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyme¹

C12: from Old French rime , from rimer to rhyme, from Old High German rīm a number; spelling influenced by _rhythm

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. rhyme or reason, logic, sense, or plan.

   There was no rhyme or reason for what they did.

Example Sentences

As they say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.

Read more on Salon

He also wandered into Assembly Hall and told the Hoosier crowd that he “never took a back seat to anybody,” and that in-state rival Purdue does something that rhymes with “trucks.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The local theatre and performance group have been committed to carrying the rural custom of "mumming" or "rhyming" into the 21st century, and in doing so caught the attention of McQueen's creative director, Seán McGirr.

Read more on BBC

Yet he didn’t seem interested in letters or rhyming the way his older sister had, and he had a very difficult time learning to write his name.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Burns instead prefers a quote that many have attributed to the writer Mark Twain: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• cadence 
• poem 
• poetry 
• rhythm 
• tune 
• verse