Rhythm Meaning
/ˈɹɪð.m̩/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
nounA specifically defined pattern of such variation.
Sentence Examples
I like the slow rhythm of that song.
Samba is a Brazilian rhythm, isn't it?
The children clapped their hands to the fast rhythm of the music.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The drummer's steady and repeating beat created a perfect ____ for the dancers to follow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The drummer kept a steady ____ throughout the performance, anchoring the rest of the band.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"Bigeminous rhythm was followed by bursts of extrasystoles."
— 1967, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, New York:
"I'm never gonna dance again / Guilty feet have got no rhythm"
— 1984, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, “Careless Whisper”:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The drummer's steady and repeating beat created a perfect ____ for the dancers to follow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The drummer kept a steady ____ throughout the performance, anchoring the rest of the band.