: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science
a Nobel laureate
specifically
: poet laureate
lau·re·ate
ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 
ˈlär-
laureated; laureating
1
: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement
2
: to appoint to the office of poet laureate
1
: honored for outstanding achievement in an art or science
This was a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate chemist Irving Langmuir …—
Gary Taubes
see also poet laureate
Gary Taubes2
: crowned with laurel
Minted in France in 1807, the front of the medal shows the laureate head of Emperor Napoleon and, on the reverse, an eagle clutching a thunderbolt, part of the emperor's imperial seal.—Brice Stump
Brice StumpExamples of laureate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
Others were David Gross and Frank Wilczek — who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics — Gerard 't Hooft, a 1999 Nobel laureate, and Kip Thorne, who would go on to win the prize in 2017.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate led the 2020 effort in Venezuela documenting the opposition’s victory over Maduro in that year’s presidential elections.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2026
Since the two leaders spoke on the phone in August, Lukashenko has released 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Viktar Babaryka.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
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Noun
Other guests included Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
Others were David Gross and Frank Wilczek — who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics — Gerard 't Hooft, a 1999 Nobel laureate, and Kip Thorne, who would go on to win the prize in 2017.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate led the 2020 effort in Venezuela documenting the opposition’s victory over Maduro in that year’s presidential elections.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2026
Since the two leaders spoke on the phone in August, Lukashenko has released 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova and Viktar Babaryka.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laureate
Cite this Entry
“Laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laureate. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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