ode

1 of 2

noun

ˈōd 

plural odes

1

: a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms

Clifton's ode "homage to my hips"

2

: something that shows respect for or celebrates the worth or influence of another : homage

The museum would be an ode to visual storytelling, drawn from the director's collection of film ephemera and fine art.

—Chanan Tigay

The recipe is an ode to my homeland, Vietnam, and I'd like to share it with my new friends in America.

—Gourmet

odist

ˈō-dist 

noun

-ode

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Examples of ode in a Sentence

Noun

This poem is titled, “An Ode to My Mother.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This is a classic stair-step uptrend, the kind the poets of Ancient Greece composed odes to and bards of the north told tales about around the fire in days of old. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Her latest book is an ode to the artist Eva Hesse — and a pulsing meditation on identity. — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

The gigantic One Bryant Park will open its doors this month; the 10,000-square-foot space is an ode to Japanese dining in Midtown, tapping Tadaaki Ishizaki, Chikara Sono, and Yoshihiko Kousaka to focus on their own dining destinations. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 Sep. 2026

Edgar No list of gothic baby names would be complete without an ode to Edgar Allan Poe, the American writer known for his macabre stories. — Anna Earl, Parents, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin, from Greek ōidē, literally, song, from aeidein, aidein to sing; akin to Greek audē voice

Noun combining form

Greek -odos, from hodos

First Known Use

Noun

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ode

• blowed
• bode
• code
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed

Kids Definition

ode

1 of 2 noun

ˈōd 

: a lyric poem that expresses a noble feeling with dignity

-ode

2 of 2 noun combining form

ˌōd

1

: way : path

electrode

2

: electrode

diode

Etymology

Noun combining form

derived from Greek hodos "way, path"