poet laureate
noun
plural poets laureate or poet laureates
1
: a poet honored for achievement
2
a
: a poet appointed for life by an English sovereign as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to compose poems for court and national occasions
b
: a poet appointed annually by the U.S. Library of Congress as a consultant and typically involved in the promotion of poetry
3
: one regarded by a country or region as its most eminent or representative poet
Examples of poet laureate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For Welcome is Orlando’s poet laureate, the city’s second one.
—
Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2025
To Lynne Thompson, a former poet laureate of Los Angeles and the current board president of Cave Canem, therein lies the key conceit of the program.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This year’s recipients are Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker; Temple Grandin, a scientist and autism advocate; Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. poet laureate; and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
It was written by the national youth poet laureate, Stephanie Pacheco, who attends Borough of Manhattan Community College, one of CUNY’s 25 schools.
—James Barron, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poet laureate
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Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2025
To Lynne Thompson, a former poet laureate of Los Angeles and the current board president of Cave Canem, therein lies the key conceit of the program.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This year’s recipients are Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker; Temple Grandin, a scientist and autism advocate; Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. poet laureate; and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
It was written by the national youth poet laureate, Stephanie Pacheco, who attends Borough of Manhattan Community College, one of CUNY’s 25 schools.
—James Barron, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poet laureate
Video
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'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
Cite this Entry
“Poet laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poet%20laureate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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