ode

1 of 2

noun

ˈōd 

plural odes

1

: a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms

Clifton's ode "homage to my hips"

2

: something that shows respect for or celebrates the worth or influence of another : homage

The museum would be an ode to visual storytelling, drawn from the director's collection of film ephemera and fine art.

—Chanan Tigay

The recipe is an ode to my homeland, Vietnam, and I'd like to share it with my new friends in America.

—Gourmet

odist

ˈō-dist 

noun

-ode

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Examples of ode in a Sentence

Noun

This poem is titled, “An Ode to My Mother.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Director Rachael Abigail Holder’s ode to Brooklyn captures how love and friendship change as the city around you does. —Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025

Porsche just unveiled its newest 911 Carrera—a stunning ode to the mountains of Taiwan, with a bespoke livery and interior for zooming the roads there in style. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2025

Its debut menu is an ode to Taiwanese pop culture and food, with inventive fusions like arancini made of sticky rice, panna cotta topped with oolong boba, and Liu’s favorite, an oyster omelette frittata. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025

Reichardt’s film, pointedly set against the Vietnam War protests of 1970, delivers its own off-center ode to political solidarity; in the margins of her story, Reichardt quietly reveals the grim consequences of standing for no one and nothing besides one’s own interests. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin, from Greek ōidē, literally, song, from aeidein, aidein to sing; akin to Greek audē voice

Noun combining form

Greek -odos, from hodos

First Known Use

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ode

• blowed
• bode
• code
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed

Kids Definition

ode

1 of 2 noun

ˈōd 

: a lyric poem that expresses a noble feeling with dignity

-ode

2 of 2 noun combining form

ˌōd

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Etymology

Noun combining form

derived from Greek hodos "way, path"