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 of poet

• 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

But the group had learned of the Phantom Orchestra, a group in Tbilisi, the capital of what is now Georgia, composed of musicians, poets and activists who had been barred from leaving the Soviet Union. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

This novel comes to readers in the form of a poem—one written by a fictional poet and accompanied by annotations from the poet’s (also fictional) colleague. — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

Born on June 2, 1939, in Charleston, Missouri, Bradford was inspired to be a writer after her idol, poet Robert Frost, visited her high school. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2026

The poet Jack Spicer wrote that poems cannot live alone any more than people can. — Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 22 Aug. 2026

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