rhythm

Pluralrhythms

Formsrhythms, rhythming, rhythmed

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The pattern of strong and weak beats in music or speech as it moves through time.

   Like the steady tick-tock of a clock that you can clap along to.

   The drummer kept a steady rhythm all through the song.

   You can hear the rhythm in a poem when you read it out loud.

   Similarbeat, cadence, meter, pulse, lilt

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A set pattern of beats that has its own name, like a waltz or a march.

   Like a special recipe of beats that always goes the same way.

   The dance teacher taught us a simple waltz rhythm.

   Salsa music uses a rhythm that repeats every few beats.

   Similarbeat, meter

3. 3
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A regular flow or pattern in how something keeps happening.

   Like a daily routine where the same things happen in the same order.

   We soon found a good rhythm and finished the work quickly.

   The daily rhythm of farm life suited her well.

   Similarpattern, flow, pace, routine

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable

   How fast or slow a beat, song, or repeated action goes.

   Like how fast you tap your foot to a song.

   The runners matched their steps to a fast rhythm.

   He slowed the rhythm so everyone could keep up.

   Similartempo, pace, speed

   Note
5. 5
   noununcountable

   A natural sense for beats and timing that lets someone move or play in time.

   Like having a good ear for music, but for timing and beats.

   She has great rhythm and never misses a step on the dance floor.

   Some people are born with rhythm, while others have to practice it.

   Similartiming

   Note
6. 6
   noununcountable

   The instruments in a band that keep the beat instead of playing the tune.

   Like the part of a band that keeps the beat, not the part that plays the tune.

   He plays rhythm while his sister plays lead guitar.

   The bass and drums form the rhythm behind the singer.

   Note
7. 7
   nouncountable

   The planned repeating of words or events in a story to create a pattern or feeling.

   Like a chorus in a song that comes back over and over.

   The poem builds a rhythm by repeating the same line at the end of each verse.

   The story's rhythm comes from a scene that returns again and again.

   Note
8. 8
   nouncountable

   A regular change that repeats in a natural process, like day and night.

   Like the way the sun rises and sets at the same time each day.

   The body has a daily rhythm that controls sleep and waking.

   Plants follow the rhythm of the seasons as they grow and rest.

   Similarcycle, pattern

   Note
9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To give something a beat or a pattern of timing.

   School bells rhythm the day, from the first class to the last.

   Life on the farm is rhythmed by the seasons, from spring planting to the fall harvest.

   Similarpunctuate, pace, structure

   Note

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