rhyme

[rahym] /raɪm/
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 (def 4).
verb (used with object), rhymed, rhyming.
6.
to treat in rhyme, as a subject; turn into rhyme, as something in prose.
7.
to compose (verse or the like) in metrical form with rhymes.
8.
to use (a word) as a rhyme to another word; use (words) as rhymes.
verb (used without object), rhymed, rhyming.
9.
to make rhyme or verse; versify.
10.
to use rhyme in writing verse.
11.
to form a rhyme, as one word or line with another:
a word that rhymes with orange.
12.
to be composed in metrical form with rhymes, as verse:
poetry that rhymes.
Idioms
13.
rhyme or reason, logic, sense, or plan:
There was no rhyme or reason for what they did.
Also, rime.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English rime < Old French, derivative of rimer to rhyme < Gallo-Romance *rimāre to put in a row ≪ Old High German rīm series, row; probably not connected with Latin rhythmus rhythm, although current spelling (from c1600) apparently by association with this word
Related forms
rhymer, noun
interrhyme, verb (used without object), interrhymed, interrhyming.
misrhymed, adjective
nonrhyme, noun
nonrhymed, adjective
nonrhyming, adjective
outrhyme, verb (used with object), outrhymed, outrhyming.
unrhyme, verb (used with object), unrhymed, unrhyming.
well-rhymed, adjective
Can be confused
rhyme, rhythm.
Examples from the web for rhymes
  • The twinkling of the stars is fine for nursery rhymes and poets but much less charming for astronomers.
  • Sometimes she would be so distraught at work that she would repeat unintelligible nursery rhymes.
  • You'll see that if you ask students to paraphrase a sentence from a traditional poem, the kind that rhymes and scans.
  • Poetry was invented as a mnemonic device: it's easier to remember stuff when it rhymes and scans.
  • The shows are proving extremely popular, and the pair are already eyeing their next target: nursery rhymes.
  • New stuff, though a lot of the rhymes sound kind of broken, the synth-strings tinged with cheese.
  • The rhymes were clever and the solos fine and the banjo soon took his turn.
  • He includes whole batches of nursery rhymes and occasional verse.
  • Particularly avoid the use of any word that rhymes with banker.
  • Usually these ventures are short-lived: the rhymes disserve the beats.
British Dictionary definitions for 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.
rhyme or reason, sense, logic, or meaning: this proposal has no rhyme or reason
verb
6.
to use (a word) or (of a word) to be used so as to form a rhyme; be or make identical in sound
7.
to render (a subject) into rhyme
8.
to compose (verse) in a metrical structure
See also masculine rhyme, feminine rhyme, eye rhyme
Derived Forms
rhymeless, rimeless, adjective
Word Origin
C12: from Old French rime, from rimer to rhyme, from Old High German rīm a number; spelling influenced by rhythm
Word Origin and History for rhymes

rhyme

n.

"agreement in terminal sounds," 1560s, partially restored spelling, from Middle English ryme, rime (c.1200) "measure, meter, rhythm," later "rhymed verse" (mid-13c.), from Old French rime (fem.), related to Old Provençal rim (masc.), earlier *ritme, from Latin rithmus, from Greek rhythmos "measured motion, time, proportion" (see rhythm).

In Medieval Latin, rithmus was used for accentual, as opposed to quantitative, verse, and accentual verse usually was rhymed, hence the sense shift. Persistence of older form is due to popular association with Old English rim "number," from PIE root *re(i)- "to reason, count" (see read (v.)). Phrase rhyme or reason "good sense" (chiefly used in the negative) is from late 15c. (see reason (n.)). Rhyme scheme is attested from 1931. Rhyme royal (1841) is a stanza of seven 10-syllable lines rhymed a-b-a-b-b-c-c.

v.

"make verses, make rhymes," c.1300, rimen, from Old French rimer, from rime "verse" (see rhyme (n.)). Attested 1670s (of words) in sense "to have the same end sound." Modern spelling is from 1650s, by influence of rhythm. Related: Rhymed; rhyming. The phrase rhyming slang is attested from 1859.

rhymes in Culture

rhyme definition


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