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Definition of "iambic" [i•am•bic]

  • Consisting of iambs or characterized by their predominance: iambic pentameter. (adjective)
  • An iamb. (noun)
  • A verse, stanza, or poem written in iambs. Often used in the plural. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "iambic" in a sentence
  • "In this poem the feet are iambic and there are four of them, consequently we name the meter of this poem _iambic tetrameter_."
  • ""The twilight hours like birds flew by," is made up of four iambic feet, and is therefore an _iambic tetrameter_."
  • "But I hope it shows that what we call iambic pentameter is really, if you count the rest the way you must count it, a kind of slow waltz rhythm."