1. A metrical foot consisting of two syllables, with the first unstressed and the second stressed (˘ ¯).
Usage: Also called iamb; used in poetry and prosody; Common in English verse

Examples

• The word 'delight' is an example of an iambus, with stress on the second syllable.
• Shakespeare frequently used the iambus in his sonnets.
• An iambus is the opposite of a trochee in metrical structure.
• The iambus creates a rising rhythm that feels natural in English speech.
• Poets often build lines from multiple iambi to establish a regular meter.