What does enjambment mean?
Enjambment is a poetic technique in which a sentence or phrase runs over from one line of verse into the next, so that the line's end does not coincide with a natural grammatical or syntactic pause. The word derives from the French enjambement, meaning 'a straddling,' and entered English in the nineteenth century. By breaking a thought across lines, poets can create momentum, tension, suspense, or surprise — often placing an unexpected or emphatic word at the beginning of the following line. Enjambment stands in contrast to the end-stopped line, where the sense concludes neatly with the line itself. It is used extensively across English-language poetry, notably by writers such as William Wordsworth, Tennyson, Walt Whitman, and many modern free-verse poets who rely on it as a primary structural device. The term is chiefly found in literary criticism, poetics, and classroom discussion rather than everyday speech.
nounIn poetry, the running over of a sentence or phrase from one line of verse into the next without a pause or syntactical break at the line's end.
- (in poetry) The continuation of a sentence or clause beyond the end of a verse line, without a syntactic pause.
"The poet's use of enjambment pulls the reader breathlessly from line to line."
"Tennyson's enjambment in 'Ulysses' gives the poem its restless, driving energy."
"A skilled poet uses enjambment to create surprise, placing an unexpected word at the start of the next line."
Usually treated as uncountable when discussing the technique generally; plural forms appear mainly in close textual analysis referring to specific instances.
"The critic counted the enjambments across all fourteen sonnets."
Enjambment comes from the French word for 'straddling' — the sentence literally straddles two lines of verse.
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Etymology of enjambment
Enjambment comes from French enjambement, formed from the verb enjamber ('to straddle'), which combines en- ('in') with jambe ('leg'). It thus literally suggests something that straddles or steps over — here, a sentence stepping over the boundary of a verse line. The term was adopted into English literary criticism in the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How enjambment is actually used
Enjambment is a technical term of prosody and literary criticism; it appears almost exclusively in formal and academic contexts. It contrasts with an end-stopped line, where syntax and line break coincide. The variant spelling 'enjambement' (closer to the French) is also seen but less common.
Easily confused with enjambment
An envelope is a paper container for a letter, whereas enjambment is a poetic technique of carrying a sentence past the end of a verse line; they share only a vague visual resemblance.