: 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
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
That’s probably the first clue that the screenplay by Ottinger — with additional dialogue by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, no less — will not be overly worried about the finer points of plot logic.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, that took over after Hasina was toppled, oversaw the election.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus that took over after Hasina was toppled oversaw the election.
—Julhas Alam, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for laureate
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Noun
Nearly 40 years ago, economist and Nobel laureate Robert Solow observed little productivity gains in the PC age, despite prognostications of a productivity surge, and Slok sees a similar pattern today.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
That’s probably the first clue that the screenplay by Ottinger — with additional dialogue by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, no less — will not be overly worried about the finer points of plot logic.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, that took over after Hasina was toppled, oversaw the election.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus that took over after Hasina was toppled oversaw the election.
—Julhas Alam, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 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 23 Feb. 2026.
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