poet

noun

po·​et ˈpō-ət 

-it,

 also  ˈpȯ(-)it

1

: one who writes poetry : a maker of verses

2

: one (such as a creative artist) of great imaginative and expressive capabilities and special sensitivity to the medium

Synonyms

• minstrel
• muse
• bard

Examples of poet in a Sentence

Emily Dickinson is famous as the poet who rarely left the house but often journeyed to the depths of the human heart.

Recent Examples on the Web

O’Hara, Ashbery, and Koch would later form the nucleus of what became known as the New York School of poets. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

San Mateo County Libraries hosts a Diwali celebration at this senior and community center in Belmont, featuring music, poetry celebrating the holiday from Belmont’s Poet Laureate Monica Korde and local poets, dancing and a kid-friendly craft table. —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025

The former Rocky Flats weapons plant, which produced plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs, drew thousands of protesters for years to the site north of Denver, including such prominent activists as Daniel Ellsberg and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. —Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025

Around the same time, a Black History Month project – a living wax museum in which her other daughter was planning to depict the poet Maya Angelou – was also canceled. —Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French poete, from Latin poeta, from Greek poiētēs maker, poet, from poiein to make; akin to Sanskrit cinoti he gathers, heaps up

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing poet

• poet laureate

Kids Definition

poet

noun

po·​et ˈpō-ət 

-it

: a person who writes poetry