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

In an ode to Friday, the game effectively ended when Randle turned the ball over while trying to inbound the ball with Minnesota down four and 18 seconds to play. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025

Sezane Releases Their Holiday Collection Sézane has unveiled its Winter 2025 Holiday Collection, an ode to festive French dressing with signature Parisian ease. —Mecca Pryor, Essence, 24 Nov. 2025

The Garden District ode to haute Creole cuisine, now led by chef Meg Bickford, was able to bounce back from the trauma of the storm and remain a New Orleans institution. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025

For example, Moroney and Chesney’s ode to her rise sounds organic given her time opening for him, while Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake take Lake’s song to a new level, given Jelly Roll’s public struggles. —Melinda Newman, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2025

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"