: 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
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison, Pavel Sapelka, human rights advocate with the Viasna rights group, confirmed to the AP.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Iranian authorities arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi on Friday, her foundation said, citing her brother.
—Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
But for this year's laureate, even getting to the ceremony was a feat of its own.
—Carrie Kahn, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laureate
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Noun
In this diaristic novella by a prolific translator of the Norwegian Nobel laureate Jon Fosse, a narrator records several weeks in the summer of 2016 spent exchanging stories with friends in New York, travelling to San Francisco, and nursing foot injuries.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison, Pavel Sapelka, human rights advocate with the Viasna rights group, confirmed to the AP.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Iranian authorities arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi on Friday, her foundation said, citing her brother.
—Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
But for this year's laureate, even getting to the ceremony was a feat of its own.
—Carrie Kahn, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laureate
Cite this Entry
“Laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laureate. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
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