laureate

1 of 3

noun

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science

a Nobel laureate

specifically : poet laureate

laureateship

ˈlȯr-ē-ət-ˌship 

ˈlär-

noun

laureate

2 of 3

verb

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 

ˈlär-

laureated; laureating

transitive verb

1

: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement

2

: to appoint to the office of poet laureate

laureation

ˌlȯr-ē-ˈā-shən 

ˌlär-

noun

laureate

3 of 3

adjective

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

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

2

: 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

Examples of laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wang Hong and Deng Yu were named Thursday as among four laureates of the top prize, which is awarded every four years to outstanding mathematicians under 40 by the International Mathematical Union. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

Strategies + Advice A joint statement from 16 Nobel laureates and thousands of economists states AI could change the world economy faster than the Industrial Revolution. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

He was rated second only to the opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado. — Rafael Osío Cabrices, Time, 20 July 2026

Decades later, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman popularized the puzzle after his own attempt to solve it, which famously ended with a glass carboy exploding under high pressure. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing laureate

• poet laureate

Rhymes for laureate

• baccalaureate

Kids Definition

laureate

noun

lau·​re·​ate

ˈlȯr-ē-ət, 

ˈlär-

: a person honored for achievement in an art or science

especially : poet laureate

laureate adjective