What is rhyme? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of rhyme

rhymenoun

vần điệu

/raɪm//raɪm/

Where does the word rhyme come from?

The origin of the word "rhyme" can be traced back to the Old French word "rime," which is believed to have evolved from the Latin " rimare," meaning "to join" or "to fit together." In Old French, "rimare" was used to describe the repetition of sounds at the end of words in poetic verse. However, in the Middle English period, the spelling of the word "rim" (which was used for "rhyme") began to change due to the Great Vowel Shift, a linguistic phenomenon that significantly altered the way certain vowels were pronounced in English. As a result, the pronunciation of "rim" (and later "rhyme") shifted from "rim" or "rimc" in Middle English to "rime" or "rime," reflecting the new pronunciation of the words that followed it. Today, the word "rhyme" is widely used in the context of poetry to describe the repetition of similar sounds at the ends of words, and is recognized as an important literary device that adds musicality and meaning to verse.

Vocabulary summary rhyme

typenoun ((also) rime)

meaning(poetry) literature

examplemine and shine rhyme well: the two words mine and shine rhyme with each other.

meaning(usually plural) poems; rhyming verses

exampleto write bad rhymes

meaningunreasonable

typeintransitive verb ((also) rime)

meaningrhyme

examplemine and shine rhyme well: the two words mine and shine rhyme with each other.

meaningmake poetry

exampleto write bad rhymes

Example of vocabulary rhymenamespace

meaning

a word that has the same sound or ends with the same sound as another word

  • Can you think of a rhyme for ‘beauty’?
meaning

a short poem in which the last word in the line has the same sound as the last word in another line, especially the next one

  • children’s rhymes and stories
  • The kids made up a rhyme about a frog.
meaning

the use of words in a poem or song that have the same sound, especially at the ends of lines

  • the poet’s use of rhyme
  • a poem without rhyme
  • a story in rhyme
  • a poem written in rhyme
  • a poem with an unusual rhyme scheme

Synonyms and related words for rhyme

Idioms of vocabulary rhyme

there’s no rhyme or reason to/for something | without rhyme or reason
if there is no rhyme or reason to something or it happens without rhyme or reason, it happens in a way that cannot be easily explained or understood
  • Suddenly, without rhyme or reason, his mood changed.
  • There's no rhyme or reason to the new opening hours.

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