poem

noun

po·​em ˈpō-əm 

-im, 

ˈpōm

also ˈpȯ(-)im, 

ˈpō-ˌem 

1

: a composition in verse

2

: something suggesting a poem (as in expressiveness, lyricism, or formal grace)

The house we stayed in … was itself a poem.

—H. J. Laski

Synonyms of poem

• verse
• lyric
• song
• sonnet
• poetry

Examples of poem in a Sentence

He wrote a poem about his parents.

your assignment is to write two poems about springtime

Recent Examples on the Web

Her debut poetry collection is forthcoming with House of Anansi in April 2027 and her book of co-translated poems JAWS by Xitlalitl Rodríguez Mendoza is forthcoming with Cardboard House Press in April 2026. —© Adri Montes, Hazlitt, 11 Jan. 2026

Hear Margaret Bonds' tribute to civil rights leader Rosa Parks, and Bass Morris Robinson's narration of an original poem by Rita Dove. —Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2026

Christopher Nolan takes on Homer’s epic poem, about Ithaca king Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Poet Amanda Gorman, who in 2021 became the youngest person to deliver a poem at a presidential inauguration when Joe Biden was sworn in, has written a poem for the woman who shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis yesterday. —Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French poeme, from Latin poema, from Greek poiēma, from poiein

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing poem

• found poem
• heroic poem
• prose poem
• symphonic poem
• tone poem

Rhymes for poem

• jeroboam
• rehoboam

Kids Definition

poem

noun

po·​em ˈpō-əm  -im 

ˈpōm

also ˈpō-ˌem

: a composition in verse