podium

noun po·di·um \ ˈpō-dē-əm \

Definition of podium

plural podiums or podia play \-dē-ə\

1 :a low wall serving as a foundation or terrace wall: such as

a :one around the arena of an ancient amphitheater serving as a base for the tiers of seats

b :the masonry under the stylobate of a temple

2 a :a dais especially for an orchestral conductor

b :lectern

See podium defined for English-language learners

See podium defined for kids

Examples of podium in a Sentence

the conductor on the podium tonight is one of the leading figures of classical music

Recent Examples of podium from the Web

On Tuesday afternoon, the president addressed reporters in the tower's lobby, the first time the presidential seal has ever been on a podium there.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Everything You Should Know About Trump Tower," 16 Aug. 2017
At a performance of Dvorak by the Budapest Festival Orchestra at David Geffen Hall, a percussionist ambled to the front of the podium and from his tuxedo coat magically produced a tiny brass bell, which soon became the focal point of the music.

— corinna da fonseca-wollheim, New York Times, "Concert Choreography: When Musicians Get Up and Move," 28 July 2017
Mohr complained at that meeting that the application of the rules was unfair, and some people were allowed to make political statements and personal attacks from the podium.

— jennie key, Cincinnati.com, "Is the national political climate affecting our local governments?," 27 July 2017
Scaramucci lived up to his reputation as a polished performer at the briefing room podium.

— kevin cirilli, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Struggles to Regain Footing After First Staff Defections," 21 July 2017
Returning the U.S. to the top of the Gold Cup podium is one of the items on the checklist.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "U.S. all in to win CONCACAF Gold Cup, and for good reason," 18 July 2017
Shortly before Lincoln Riley took the podium to make his first Big 12 media day address as the Oklahoma football coach, the new face of the Sooners’ program received a reality check from the league’s commissioner.

— jimmy burch, star-telegram, "OU’s Riley channels Stoops, now needs to produce like him," 17 July 2017
When Sankey took the podium to begin the event, there were at least eight SEC logos within 30 feet of him, either projected on screens or painted on helmets.

— adam sparks, The Courier-Journal, "SEC Media Days: Best and worst of Day 1," 10 July 2017
This was just one of the tales that Dorrance offered from the podium.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Mia Hamm, Anson Dorrance lead tributes to Tony DiCicco at star-studded memorial service," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'podium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of podium

Latin — more at pew

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1743

See Words from the same year

podium Synonyms

Synonyms

dais, platform, rostrum, stage, stand, tribune

Related Words

altar, bimah (also bima), footpace, pulpit; riser, scaffold; balcony, gallery

Other Furniture and Woodworking Terms

appoint, credenza, mission, settee

-podium

noun combining form

Definition of -podium

plural -podia

:foot :part resembling a foot

pseudopodium

Origin and Etymology of -podium

New Latin, from Greek podion, diminutive of pod-, pous foot — more at foot

PODIUM Defined for English Language Learners

podium

noun

Definition of podium for English Language Learners

: a raised platform for a speaker, performer, or the leader of an orchestra
: a stand with a slanted surface that holds a book, notes, etc., for someone who is reading, speaking, or teaching