laureate

1 of 3

noun

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət How to pronounce laureate (audio)
ˈlär-
: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science
a Nobel laureate
specifically : poet laureate
laureateship noun

laureate

2 of 3

verb

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce laureate (audio)
ˈlär-
laureated; laureating

transitive verb

1
: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement
2
: to appoint to the office of poet laureate
laureation noun

laureate

3 of 3

adjective

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət How to pronounce laureate (audio)
ˈlär-
1
: honored for outstanding achievement in an art or science
This was a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate chemist Irving Langmuir …Gary Taubes
see also poet laureate
2
: crowned with laurel
Minted in France in 1807, the front of the medal shows the laureate head of Emperor Napoleon and, on the reverse, an eagle clutching a thunderbolt, part of the emperor's imperial seal.Brice Stump

Examples of laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Myanmar’s democratic transition under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi further curtailed the region’s role in drugs, with U.N.-backed crop substitution programs transforming crimson poppy fields into fruit orchards and tea plantations. TIME, 21 Mar. 2024 Now, some of China’s most zealous online nationalists have a new target in their crosshairs: the country’s first officially recognized Nobel laureate. Nectar Gan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Fellow Nobel laureate Salman Rushdie, who befriended García Márquez later in life, says the author's works need no new additions. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 Another highlight was when Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and the Soweto Gospel Choir came onboard. Georgina Cruz, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Before his death almost 10 years ago, Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez had nearly completed his final book. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The novel adds an unexpected coda to the life and work of García Márquez, a literary giant and Nobel laureate, and will likely stir questions about how literary estates and publishers should navigate posthumous releases that contradict a writer’s directives. Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Lawfare has been widely used against journalists and human rights defenders globally, most notably against Filipino and American journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, and award-winning Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Since its founding in 1540, Arequipa has been a breeding ground for intellectuals and political rebels, including the novelist, Nobel laureate, and Peru’s most famous writer, Mario Vargas Llosa. Mark Johanson, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2023
Verb
The Doomsday Clock is set each year by the 22 members of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel laureates. Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 23 Jan. 2024 This year saw the first-ever approval of a medicine based on the gene editing technology, barely more than a decade after publication of its first demonstration by Nobel laureates Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier. Megan Molteni, STAT, 26 Dec. 2023 Each year, the Nobel Committee for chemistry studies the nominations and proposes the recipients of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to its parent organization, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which ultimately selects the Nobel laureates in chemistry (and physics). Jeffrey I. Seeman, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2023 Beyond the impact of his own research, Professor Solow helped launch the careers of a stunning number of future superstar economists, including four Nobel laureates: Peter Diamond, Joseph E. Stiglitz, William D. Nordhaus and George A. Akerlof. Michael M. Weinstein, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 In 2021, dozens of scientists — including two Nobel laureates — petitioned the state governor to request that Folbigg be pardoned and released. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 Advertisement Courses include an introduction to graduate humanities and graduate writing, the study of modern Nobel laureates and the history of American punishment and incarceration. Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 Fittingly, the announcement marked a small step toward closing a gender gap among Nobel laureates in economics: Out of 93 economics winners, Ms. Goldin is just the third woman to be awarded the prize and the first woman to be the sole winner in any year. Paul Wiseman, David Keyton, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2023 What the Nobel laureates discovered Karikó and Weissman’s key breakthrough was in finding a way to alter the building blocks of RNA, called nucleotides, in order to make our bodies produce an immune response. Katie Hunt, CNN, 2 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laureate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, crowned with laurel as a distinction, from Latin laureatus, from laurea laurel wreath, from feminine of laureus of laurel, from laurus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of laureate was in 1508

Dictionary Entries Near laureate

Cite this Entry

“Laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laureate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

laureate

noun
lau·​re·​ate
ˈlȯr-ē-ət,
ˈlär-
: a person honored for achievement in an art or science
especially : poet laureate
laureate adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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