: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science
a Nobel laureate
specifically
: poet laureate
lau·re·ate
ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 
ˈlär-
laureated; laureating
1
: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement
2
: to appoint to the office of poet laureate
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
Gary Taubes2
: 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
Brice StumpExamples of laureate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Among the signatories are 80 Nobel laureates and 50 recipients of the National Medal of Science.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Led by Professor Ernst Fehr of the University of Zürich and edited by Nobel laureate James Heckman, the research tracked children for years after working memory training.
—William Jones, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The World Meeting on Human Fraternity, a conference held by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation (which was established by Pope Francis), has been attended by Nobel laureates, artists, athletes, and politicians in the past.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laureate
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Noun
For more than six decades, the Dalai Lama—a charismatic and widely revered Nobel laureate—has unified the Tibetan exile community and boosted the Tibetan cause around the world.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Among the signatories are 80 Nobel laureates and 50 recipients of the National Medal of Science.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Led by Professor Ernst Fehr of the University of Zürich and edited by Nobel laureate James Heckman, the research tracked children for years after working memory training.
—William Jones, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The World Meeting on Human Fraternity, a conference held by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation (which was established by Pope Francis), has been attended by Nobel laureates, artists, athletes, and politicians in the past.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laureate
Cite this Entry
“Laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laureate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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