verse — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A poetic form with regular meter and a fixed rhyme scheme.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   poetry

   Examples

   Restoration literature is well known for its carefully constructed verse.

2. Poetic form in general.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The restrictions of verse have steadily been relaxed over time.

3. One of several similar units of a song, consisting of several lines, generally rhymed.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   stanza

   Examples

   Note the shift in tone between the first verse and the second.

4. A small section of a holy book (Bible, Quran etc.)

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. A portion of an anthem to be performed by a single voice to each part.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Verb

1. To compose verses.

   Usage

   • Obsolete

   Examples

   It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet.

2. To tell in verse, or poetry.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   playing on pipes of corn and versing love

3. to educate about, to teach about.

   Usage

   • Figurative
   • Transitive

   Examples

   He versed us in the finer points of category theory.

   More examples (1)

   Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part.[…]Next day she[…]tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and perhaps had spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary.

Verb

1. To oppose, to compete against.

   Usage

   • Colloquial
   • proscribed
   • sometimes

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   When teams play now they "verse" each other. "Who did you verse?" (Forget "whom". It's long dead.) "We're versing you next." Pity the Latin scholar who might feel the loss of "versus" more keenly than many.

   If you've got Onslaught let me know and I'll verse you.

   Ariel is worried for the race, because she is versing her best competitor, and she really wants to win.

   More examples (1)

   There was an ODI last year where the Blackcaps versed Ireland, and we almost lost, but we didn't.

Noun

1. literature in metrical form

   Synonyms

   poetrypoesy

   Broader terms

   writing styleliterary genregenre

2. a piece of poetry

   Synonyms

   rhyme

   Broader terms

   poemverse form

3. a line of metrical text

   Synonyms

   verse line

   Broader terms

   line

Verb

1. compose verses or put into verse

   Synonyms

   versifypoetizepoetise

   Broader terms

   writecomposepenindite

   Examples

   He versified the ancient saga

2. familiarize through thorough study or experience

   Broader terms

   familiarizefamiliariseacquaint

   Examples

   She versed herself in Roman archeology