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

Separately, police in Moscow raided the offices of the prominent independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, whose chief editor Dmitry Muratov was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2021. —Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

Also, opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado remains much more popular than Rodríguez, according to a February poll by AtlasIntel/Bloomberg. —Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

The laureate will receive a $20,000 honorarium and will also host literary workshops and produce two annual reports. —María Ramos Pacheco, Dallas Morning News, 8 Apr. 2026

Nobel laureate Milton Friedman presciently noted that government spending is government taxation. —Wayne Winegarden, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 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