rhythm en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- [ˈɹɪð.m̩] (Australia, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (California) audio
- /ˈɹɪð.əm/ (Australia, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- audio North Carolina
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ser-? Proto-Indo-European *srew- Proto-Indo-European *sru-dʰ-mo-s Proto-Hellenic *hrutʰmós Ancient Greek ῥῠθμός (rhŭthmós)bor. Latin rhythmusder. English rhythm First coined in 1557, from Latin rhythmus, from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός (rhuthmós, “any measured flow or movement, symmetry, rhythm”), from ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow, run, stream, gush”).
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
Dance to the rhythm of the music.
Hicks is both thwarter and thwartee of Daedalean plots. Aboard a train, the rhythm of the wheels sounds to him like "wottachump, wottachump, wottachump."
2025 October 2, Dwight Garner, “Book Review: 'Shadow Ticket,' by Thomas Pynchon”, in The New York Times Book Review, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2025:The audience clapped in rhythm as I sang.
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(countable, uncountable) A specifically defined pattern of such variation.
Most dances have a rhythm as distinctive as the Iambic verse in poetry
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(countable, uncountable) A flow, repetition or regularity.
Once you get the rhythm of it, the job will become easy.
Will this decision-making paralysis continue until Great British Railways has been established and settled into a new rhythm? If so, passengers on the West of England line are in for a rough ride, as the reliability of these tired old British Rail trains inevitably declines, and maintenance costs rise.
2026 February 18, Paul Clifton, “West of England Line problems laid bare”, in RAIL, page 7:
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(countable, uncountable) The tempo or speed of a beat, song or repetitive event.
Bigeminous rhythm was followed by bursts of extrasystoles.
1967, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, New York:If you hum or whistle the rhythm of the common English metres,— of the decasyllabic quatrain, or the octosyllabic with alternate sexisyllabic, or other rhythms, […]
1872, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poetry and Imagination:We walked with a quick, even rhythm.
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(countable, uncountable) The musical instruments which provide rhythm (mainly; not or less melody) in a musical ensemble.
The Baroque term basso continuo is virtually equivalent to rhythm
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(countable, uncountable) A regular quantitative change in a variable (notably natural) process.
The rhythm of the seasons dominates agriculture as well as wildlife
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(countable, uncountable) Controlled repetition of a phrase, incident or other element as a stylistic figure in literature and other narrative arts; the effect it creates.
The running gag is a popular rhythm in motion pictures and theater comedy
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(countable, uncountable) A person's natural feeling for rhythm.
That girl's got rhythm, watch her dance!
I'm never gonna dance again / Guilty feet have got no rhythm
1984, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, “Careless Whisper”:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| rhythms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
rhythm royal · rhythmise · biorhythm · poly-rhythm · Lombard rhythm · tachyrhythmia · rhythm guitar · rhythm and blues · homorhythm · rhythming · rhythmite · rhythm box · polyrhythm · rhythm stick · plagiarhythm · circadian rhythm · rhythmless · rhythmical · theta rhythm · rhythmal · rhythmometer · rhythmic · dysrhythmia · rhythmed · escape rhythm · rhythm band · rhythmer · rhythm and grime · counterrhythm · rhythm game · cross-rhythm · rhythmology · Lombardic rhythm · rhythmogenetic · sinus rhythm · alpha rhythm · isorhythm · microrhythm · battle rhythm · rhythm pole · rhythm method
Relateds
rhythmicity · rhythmist · rhythmics · rhythmize
Synonyms
meter · metre · rhythm section (instruments providing rhythm) · prosody
Translations (145)
lt ritmas (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · es ritmo (flow, repetition or regularity) · fi rytmi (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · lo ຈັງຫວະ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · haw pā (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · bn তাল (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ja リズム (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sk rytmus (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · cs rytmus (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · mk ритам (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · alt ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · uz ritm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · uk ритм (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ha taakee (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · acw إِيقَاع (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · gur ditmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · is taktur (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tl aliw-iw (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · it ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · cmn 節奏 /节奏 (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · de Rhythmus (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · my ရစ်သမ် (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · grc ῥυθμός (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · te లయ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · mr ताल (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · pt ritmo (flow, repetition or regularity) · da rytme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tl ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · gl ritmo (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · sh рѝтам (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · fo rútma (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sk rytmus (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · alt кӱӱлт (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · fi rytmi (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ms rentak (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · cs rytmus (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · vi nhịp điệu (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ka რიტმი (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · mi manawataki (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ar إِيقَاع (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sh рѝтам (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · gl ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nb rytme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sl ritem (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · be рытм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · eo ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · km ចង្វាក់ (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · cs takt (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · bg ри́тъм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטם (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · th จังหวะ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sh rìtam (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · fa-ira ریتْم (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tk ritm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ur تال (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sq ritëm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · da mønster (flow, repetition or regularity) · he קֶצֶב (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ca ritme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · pl rytm (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · lt ritmas (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tl indayog (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ru ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · el ρυθμός (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tg ритм (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · hy ռիթմ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ru ритм (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · mk ритам (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · nb rytme (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ml താളം (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · et rütm (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · nl ritme (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · pl rytm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטעם (flow, repetition or regularity) · tg ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ru ритм (flow, repetition or regularity) · lv ritms (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ru такт (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ga rithim (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ast ritmu (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · gd ruitheam (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · et rütm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ta தாளம் (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ca ritme (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ast ritmu (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · haw pana o ka mele (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · mr ताल (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · gu તાલ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · be рытм (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · fi tahti (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nn rytmikk (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · lv ritms (flow, repetition or regularity) · bg ри́тъм (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · sl ritem (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · cmn 節奏 /节奏 (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · hu ritmus (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tr ritm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sw mahadhi (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · cs tempo (flow, repetition or regularity) · hi ताल (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tr ritim (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · hu ütem (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · es ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · qu waskariqlla (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nl ritme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטעם (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · gil te katoang (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nn rytme (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · gd ruitheam (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · pt ritmo (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · my စည်းချက် (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · id ritme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nn rytme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nb rytmikk (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · arz رتم (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטעם (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ms ritma (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · grc ρυθμός (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · ro ritm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · fr rythme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ky ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · nl ritme (flow, repetition or regularity) · el ρυθμός (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · az ritm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · af ritme (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · kn ಮರುಕಳಿಕೆ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · mi ūngeri (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sh rìtam (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · da rytme (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · tl aliw-iw (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · tr ritim (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · syl ꠔꠣꠟ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · cs rytmus (flow, repetition or regularity) · fi rytmi (flow, repetition or regularity) · lv ritms (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · pt ritmo (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · km ចង្វាក់ (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · ko 리듬 (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · kk ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · sv rytm (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · uk ритм (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטם (flow, repetition or regularity) · fi tahti (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event) · my စည်းချက် (variation of strong and weak elements of sounds over time) · yi ריטם (tempo or speed of a beat, song, or repeated event)