assonance
noun
as·so·nance ˈa-sə-nən(t)s 
1
a
: relatively close juxtaposition of similar sounds especially of vowels (as in "rise high in the bright sky")
b
: repetition of vowels without repetition of consonants (as in stony and holy) used as an alternative to rhyme in verse
2
: resemblance of sound in words or syllables
assonant
ˈa-sə-nənt
adjective or noun assonantal
ˌa-sə-ˈnan-tᵊl
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Near-rhyme, half rhyme, off rhyme, odd rhyme, assonance and identities, slant rhymers and straight rhymers: all of it is potentially compelling, and none of it is a sanctuary from sense. 
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 At the same time, the poem’s strong slam rhythms, coming in rising and falling waves, with frequent internal rhymes, repetitions, and plays of assonance are strong, effective, unmistakable. Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 31 Mar. 2021 The face-off between Beowulf and Unferth plays out like a rap battle, with end-rhymes, slant rhymes, and over-the-top assonance springing the words off the page. Irina Dumitrescu, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 See More
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 At the same time, the poem’s strong slam rhythms, coming in rising and falling waves, with frequent internal rhymes, repetitions, and plays of assonance are strong, effective, unmistakable. Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 31 Mar. 2021 The face-off between Beowulf and Unferth plays out like a rap battle, with end-rhymes, slant rhymes, and over-the-top assonance springing the words off the page. Irina Dumitrescu, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 The fairy even hovers over Harbart’s suicide, and a similar lighter touch informs the prose, enlivened by assonance and alliteration. John Domini, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from Latin assonare to answer with the same sound, from ad- + sonare to sound, from sonus sound — more at sound entry 1
First Known Use
1727, in the meaning defined at sense 2