rhythm

[ rith-uhm ]

/ ˈrɪð əm /

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See synonyms for: rhythm / rhythms 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: She taught us the song, tapping out the rhythm for us on the table.
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: I loved the pattern and rhythm of her story, with the repeating line about ancestors being proud of her actions.

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: Most of her poems are free verse and do not follow a strict rhythm.
a particular kind of metrical form: Iambic rhythm has been the principal mode of English poetry since Chaucer.
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: Waking up at the same time each day is good for your circadian rhythm—your 24-hour "body clock."

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR rhythm

9 flow, pulse, cadence.

See synonyms for rhythm on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of rhythm

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

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. 2023

How to use rhythm in a sentence

Bright light is what keeps our circadian rhythms in good order.
Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder With This New Tracker|DailyBurn|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The steady, entrancing rhythms are a well-established motif in dramatizations of the American war in Vietnam.
A Different Kind of Vietnam Story|J.T. Price|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jim Campbell: Rhythms of Perception is on display at the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria until June 15.
Art Goes High-Tech at These Four Innovative Exhibits|Justin Jones|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You would need to go back to the 19th century to find rhythms in popular music with so little syncopation.
Did Led Zeppelin Steal ‘Stairway to Heaven’?|Ted Gioia|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But when whole careers are now staked on micro-sized melodies and formulaic rhythms, the lawsuits are bound to proliferate.
Did Led Zeppelin Steal ‘Stairway to Heaven’?|Ted Gioia|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rarely indeed are his rhythms uniform, while they frequently shift from line to line.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various
Strange involuntary rhythms swung through my spirit and body.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
The latter is a composition of the literary German with dialectic forms, and his rhythms are halting, his ideas one-sided.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
Everything she heard wandered off into melodies, melted into harmonies, divided itself up into rhythms.
The Devourers|Annie Vivanti Chartres
Of course scales must be carefully studied, with various accents, rhythms and tonal dynamics; arpeggios also.
Piano Mastery|Harriette Brower

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

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

OTHER WORDS FOR rhythm

Origin of rhythm

OTHER WORDS FROM rhythm

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rhythm

Words related to rhythm

How to use rhythm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhythm

Derived forms of rhythm

Word Origin for rhythm

Cultural definitions for rhythm