rhythm

American  

[rith-uhm] / ˈrɪð əm /

noun

• rhythms
  plural

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

2. Music.

   1. the pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats.

      She taught us the song, tapping out the rhythm for us on the table.

   2. a particular form of this.

      duple rhythm; triple rhythm.

3. measured movement, as in dancing.

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

   I loved the pattern and rhythm of her story, with the repeating line about ancestors being proud of her actions.

5. 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.

6. Prosody.

   1. metrical or rhythmical form; meter; cadence.

      Most of her poems are free verse and do not follow a strict rhythm.

   2. a particular kind of metrical form.

      Iambic rhythm has been the principal mode of English poetry since Chaucer.

   3. metrical movement.

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

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

   Waking up at the same time each day is good for your circadian rhythm—your 24-hour "body clock."

9. procedure marked by the regular recurrence of particular elements, phases, etc..

   the rhythm of the seasons.

   Synonyms:

   cadence, pulse, flow

10. regular recurrence of elements in a system of motion.

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rhythm British  

/ ˈrɪðəm /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. any specific arrangement of such groupings; time

      quadruple rhythm

2. 1. the arrangement of words into a more or less regular sequence of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables

   2. any specific such arrangement; metre

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

4. 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

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rhythm Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrhythm
  noun
• rhythmless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rhythms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rhythm

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin rhythmus, from Greek rhythmós; compare rheîn “to flow”

Explanation

Use the noun rhythm to refer to the regular pattern of something in a cycle or the beat in a song. In the summer, your life takes on a different rhythm than during the school year. Rhythm comes from the Greek rhythmos "measured movement, flow." The beat of a song or the meter of a poem is its rhythm. You can also describe the cycle of things that happen in life or nature like the ocean tide or the passing of the seasons as a rhythm. If you have no rhythm, you're not very good at dancing. And once your favorite basketball team has found its rhythm, you know it's going to win.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhythm rhythms

Later in the record, on “How Love’s Supposed to Go,” he begins the song with clipped phrases sprinkled with funky accents in another luxurious rhythm that almost sounds like a classic sample.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

“Duvateen” is worth talking about some more because it’s a stellar exemplar of how John Curley firmly commands the rhythm section.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

Cannom became one of the nation’s leading specialists on heart rhythm disorders and sudden cardiac deaths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Gus Atkinson: Bowled better than figures of 1-51 suggest but looked short of rhythm, unsurprising given he had previously been bowling in The Hundred.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Hup, hup, hup, hup!” he chanted, to set a marching rhythm.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Specialty lamps are already sold for other biological purposes, including helping people cope with disruptions to natural circadian rhythms such as jet lag.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Tuning in for some TV takes: Netflix’s binge-drop model disrupted the stodgy rhythms of old-school TV.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

The company says its "companion-centric" device can interpret human gestures and bop to musical rhythms, as well as take selfies and steady videos.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Between us, we’ve now been to nine World Cups, and each time, the rhythms are the same.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

A little over two weeks into the journey, the rhythms of travel had settled into Kaede’s body.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• cadence
• flow
• movement
• pattern
• pulse
• swing
• tempo