Verse (poetry)

A verse is formally a single metrical line in a poetic composition. However, verse has come to represent any division or grouping of words in a poetic composition, with groupings traditionally having been referred to as stanzas. Moreover, verse has also been a traditional application in drama, which is therefore known as dramatic poetry, verse drama, or dramatic verse.

The word "verse" is commonly, though incorrectly, used in lieu of "poetry" to distinguish it from prose. Where the common unit of verse is based on meter or rhyme, the common unit of prose is purely grammatical, such as a sentence or paragraph. Prose poems and free verse, though poetry, are not verse, because they exhibit no regular patterns of rhythm.