laureate

play

noun lau·re·ate \ˈlȯr-ē-ət, ˈlär-\

Definition of laureate

: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science a Nobel laureate; specifically : poet laureate

laureate

adjective

laureateship

play \ˈlȯr-ē-ət-ˌship, ˈlär-\ noun

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Recent Examples of laureate from the Web

News of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo's ill health made for an additional focal point.

— kevin lui / hong kong, Time, "Hong Kong 20th Anniversary: Portraits from Settler Society", 2 July 2017
The 14th Dalai Lama — a 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the spiritual leader of Tibet — is the latest speaker to drive controversy and protest on a college campus.

— jeanine santucci, USA TODAY College, "Dalai Lama speaks at UCSD commencement amid Chinese student objection", 17 June 2017
The Library of Congress announced on Wednesday that Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith will be the nation’s 22nd poet laureate, commencing her one-year term in the fall.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate for a Nation Divided", 15 June 2017
Yet UC San Diego is also increasingly Chinese, and China is no friend to the Tibetan Buddhist The 14th Dalai Lama is a Nobel laureate and the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For UC San Diego, the Dalai Lama's visit has global impact — for better or worse", 15 June 2017
Other previous laureates include Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove and Natasha Trethewey.

— Washington Post, "Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith is new US poet laureate", 14 June 2017
During his official lecture recorded on June 4, laureate Bob Dylan described the influence on him of three literary works from his childhood:

— The Hive, "Was Megyn Kelly Wrong to Interview Alex Jones?", 14 June 2017
Smith succeeds Juan Felipe Herrera who was the first Latino poet laureate.

— carolyn kellogg, latimes.com, "Meet our new U.S. Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith", 13 June 2017
The auction, which includes copies of other letters sent by Einstein and correspondence by fellow Nobel laureate Louis de Broglie, will be held on June 20, though early bids are being accepted online.

— ilan ben zion, The Seattle Times, "Einstein letters on God, McCarthy, Israel go up for auction", 12 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'laureate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of laureate

Middle English, crowned with laurel as a distinction, from Latin laureatus, from laurea laurel wreath, from feminine of laureus of laurel, from laurus

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First Known Use: circa 1529

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