free verse

verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern.

Origin of free verse

First recorded in 1905–10

free-ver·si·fi·er

[free-vur-suh-fahy-er] /ˈfriˈvɜr səˌfaɪ ər/, noun

The subject of free-verse is too complicated to be discussed here.

Some Imagist Poets |Richard Aldington
The old question has been lately reopened, however, by the anomalous form called 'free-verse.'

The Principles of English Versification |Paull Franklin Baum
We do not insist upon "free-verse" as the only method of writing poetry.

Some Imagist Poets |Richard Aldington
Free-verse (or, as Miss Lowell prefers, 'unrhymed cadence') is a hydra-headed phenomenon.

The Principles of English Versification |Paull Franklin Baum

We believe that the individuality of a poet may often be better expressed in free-verse than in conventional forms.

Some Imagist Poets |Richard Aldington

free verse

unrhymed verse without a metrical pattern

free verse

Verse without regular meter or rhyme. Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman, is written almost entirely in free verse.