Meanings
nounfree verse (uncountable)
- uncountableA poetic form divided into lines of no particular length or meter, without a rhyme scheme.
Whitman uses free verse to achieve effects impossible under even the broad restrictions of blank verse.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchvers libre
- Englishfree verse
A calque of French vers libre.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 自由詩 /自由诗
- 自由詩 /自由诗 (zìyóushī)poetic form
Finnish vapaa mitta
- vapaa mittapoetic form
French vers libre
- vers librepoetic form
Hindi बेतुका छंद
- बेतुका छंद (betukā chand)poetic form
Japanese 自由詩
- 自由詩 (jiyūshi)poetic form
Korean 자유시
- 자유시 (jayusi)poetic form
Māori ruri māhorahora
- ruri māhorahorapoetic form
Polish wiersz wolny
- wiersz wolnypoetic form
Russian верли́бр, бе́лый стих
- верли́бр (verlíbr)poetic form
- бе́лый стих (bélyj stix)poetic form
Tagalog malayang tula, malayang taludturan
- malayang tulapoetic form
- malayang taludturanpoetic form
Turkish serbest nazım, serbest şiir
- serbest nazımpoetic form
- serbest şiirpoetic form
Cite this entry
APA
free verse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20verse
MLA
“free verse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20verse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free verse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20verse.
Source: free verse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.