poet laureate

noun

plural poets laureate or poet laureates

1

: a poet honored for achievement

2

a

: a poet appointed for life by an English sovereign as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to compose poems for court and national occasions

b

: a poet appointed annually by the U.S. Library of Congress as a consultant and typically involved in the promotion of poetry

3

: one regarded by a country or region as its most eminent or representative poet

Examples of poet laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From the city's poet laureate to the federal judge who offered the oath of office to Sheffield, the monumental nature of a Black woman becoming Detroit's mayor remained front and center. —Dana Afana, Freep.com, 9 Jan. 2026

Gwendolyn Brooks was named the poet laureate of Illinois, succeeding Carl Sandburg, who died July 22, 1967. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026

Ellen Bryant Voigt, a poet laureate of Vermont, died on October 23 at the age of 82. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026

Additionally, the collaboration between municipal poet laureates and the state poet laureate ensures that Connecticut remains culturally rich with a confluence of poetic voices. —Ct Mirror, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for poet laureate

• baccalaureate

Video

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

Kids Definition

poet laureate

noun

plural poets laureate or poet laureates

1

: a poet appointed by an English ruler as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to write poems for court and national occasions

2

: a poet regarded by a country or region as its most outstanding