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poem

noun po·em \ ˈpō-əm , -im , ˈpōm also ˈpȯ(-)im , ˈpō-ˌem \
|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018
1 : a composition in verse
2 : something suggesting a poem (as in expressiveness, lyricism, or formal grace)
  • the house we stayed in … was itself a poem
  • —H. J. Laski

See poem defined for English-language learners

See poem defined for kids

Examples of poem in a Sentence

  1. He wrote a poem about his parents.

  2. your assignment is to write two poems about springtime

Recent Examples of poem from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of poem

Middle French poeme, from Latin poema, from Greek poiēma, from poiein

poem Synonyms

Synonyms

lyric, song, verse;

Related Words

rhyme (also rime);

ballad, lay;

anacreontic, clerihew, dithyramb, eclogue, elegy, English sonnet, epic, epigram, epode, epopee, epos, georgic, idyll (also idyl), jingle, lament, limerick, madrigal, ode, pastoral, pastorale, psalm, rondeau, rondel (or rondelle), rondelet, sonnet, triolet, villanelle;

haiku, senryu, tanka;

blank verse, free verse, minstrelsy, poesy, poetry, versification, vers libre;

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

POEM Defined for English Language Learners

poem

noun

  • : a piece of writing that usually has figurative language and that is written in separate lines that often have a repeated rhythm and sometimes rhyme

POEM Defined for Kids

poem

noun po·em \ ˈpō-əm \
: a piece of writing often having figurative language and lines that have rhythm and sometimes rhyme

Learn More about poem

  1. See words that rhyme with poem Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for poem Spanish Central: Translation of poem Nglish: Translation of poem for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of poem for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poem

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