rhythm

[ rith-uhm ]

/ ˈrɪð əm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rhythm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.

Music.

the pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats.
a particular form of this: duple rhythm; triple rhythm.

measured movement, as in dancing.

Art, Literature. a patterned repetition of a motif, formal element, etc., at regular or irregular intervals in the same or a modified form.

the effect produced in a play, film, novel, etc., by the combination or arrangement of formal elements, as length of scenes, speech and description, timing, or recurrent themes, to create movement, tension, and emotional value in the development of the plot.

Prosody.

metrical or rhythmical form; meter; cadence.
a particular kind of metrical form.
metrical movement.

the pattern of recurrent strong and weak accents, vocalization and silence, and the distribution and combination of these elements in speech.

Physiology. the regular recurrence of an action or function, as of the beat of the heart, or the menstrual cycle.

procedure marked by the regular recurrence of particular elements, phases, etc.: the rhythm of the seasons.

regular recurrence of elements in a system of motion.

Words nearby rhythm

rhyming slang, rhynchocephalian, rhynchophore, rhyolite, rhys, rhythm, rhythm and blues, rhythm band, rhythm method, rhythm section, rhythm stick

Origin of rhythm

1550–60; < Latin rhythmus < Greek rhythmós; compare rheîn to flow

SYNONYMS FOR rhythm

9 flow, pulse, cadence.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR rhythm ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM rhythm

rhythm·less, adjectivenon·rhythm, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rhythm

rhyme rhythm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for rhythm

Sometimes a column has the economy and rhythm of a short story.
The Best Columns of 2014|John Avlon, Errol Louis|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Royal Christmases have a rhythm and routine—but this year Will, Kate, and baby George have their own, more relaxed plans.
Prince George’s Christmas: Better Than Yours|Tom Sykes|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A car parked at a red light honked its horn in rhythm with the chant as the crowd passed in front of it.
‘They Let Him Off?’ Scenes from NYC in Disbelief|Jacob Siegel|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most rhythm sections play pretty straight, but we were pushing him, the way we were with Miles.
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth|David Yaffe|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I never got a definitive answer, but I think he was used to having a rhythm section that would not be that dynamic under him.
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth|David Yaffe|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many good stories have rhythm, recurrence, repetition of the leit motiv.
Picture-Work|Walter L. (Walter Lowrie) Hervey
The heart's action is often disturbed in its rhythm, and sympathetic dyspnoea leads to suspicion of disease of the lungs.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II|Various
Rhythm was simply ease, as separateness, due to want of rhythm, was dis-ease.
The Promise of Air|Algernon Blackwood
The drums took on a rhythm, a throbbing in 5/8 time, rapid, venomous.
West Of The Sun|Edgar Pangborn
Don't smile, because I have explored the most fantastic regions of rhythm, hitherto undreamed.
Melomaniacs|James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for rhythm

rhythm

/ (ˈrɪðəm) /

noun

the arrangement of the relative durations of and accents on the notes of a melody, usually laid out into regular groups (bars) of beats, the first beat of each bar carrying the stress
any specific arrangement of such groupings; timequadruple rhythm

(in poetry)

the arrangement of words into a more or less regular sequence of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables
any specific such arrangement; metre

(in painting, sculpture, architecture, etc) a harmonious sequence or pattern of masses alternating with voids, of light alternating with shade, of alternating colours, etc

any sequence of regularly recurring functions or events, such as the regular recurrence of certain physiological functions of the body, as the cardiac rhythm of the heartbeat

Derived forms of rhythm

rhythmless, adjective

Word Origin for rhythm

C16: from Latin rhythmus, from Greek rhuthmos; related to rhein to flow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for rhythm

rhythm

[ rĭð′əm ]

n.

Movement or variation characterized by the regular recurrence or alternation of different quantities or conditions, as in the heartbeat.

Cultural definitions for rhythm

rhythm

The “beat” of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes. Certain kinds of music, such as blues or marches, have a very characteristic rhythm. Rhythm, harmony, and melody are elements of music.

rhythm

noun

Words related to rhythm

Words nearby rhythm

Origin of rhythm

SYNONYMS FOR rhythm

OTHER WORDS FROM rhythm

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rhythm

Examples from the Web for rhythm

British Dictionary definitions for rhythm

noun

Derived forms of rhythm

Word Origin for rhythm

Medical definitions for rhythm

n.

Cultural definitions for rhythm