SINCE 1828
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poet laureate

noun
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plural poets laureate or poet laureates

Definition of poet laureate

1 : a poet honored for achievement
2a : a poet appointed for life by an English sovereign as a member of the royal household and formerly expected to compose poems for court and national occasions
b : a poet appointed annually by the U.S. Library of Congress as a consultant and typically involved in the promotion of poetry
3 : one regarded by a country or region as its most eminent or representative poet

Examples of poet laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And there is a reading nook, with books curated by Tulsa native Joyce Harjo, U.S. poet laureate and the center’s inaugural artist-in-residence. — Rj Smith, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2022 Joy Harjo, the current U.S. poet laureate, should have read a poem at the inauguration. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2022 The rise in mental health challenges in students — and the compounding factor of shortages in teachers and administrative staff — was highlighted Tuesday by Andrew Brown, a New London educator and the city’s poet laureate. — Seamus Mcavoy, courant.com, 22 Feb. 2022 The contest is being overseen by Aurora’s reigning poet laureate and Aurora Downtown board member Karen Fullett-Christensen. — David Sharos, chicagotribune.com, 18 Feb. 2022 His books Holy Land and Becoming Los Angeles trace the growth of Southern California after World War II, and through his newspaper, online and radio commentary over the years, has been called by some the poet laureate of suburban California. — Michael Bernick, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022 And work is underway on the adjoining Labor Plaza, which will include visual art and poetry by Octavio Quintanilla, who served as the city’s poet laureate from 2018 to 2020. — Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Mar. 2022 As poet laureate, Jones will advocate for poetry and writing in general during lectures and appearances at schools, libraries and other institutions. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2021 Meet Alexandra Huynh, Amanda Gorman’s California successor as youth poet laureate. — Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2021 See More

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

First Known Use of poet laureate

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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The first known use of poet laureate was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near poet laureate

poetize

poet laureate

poetling

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Last Updated

19 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Poet laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poet%20laureate. Accessed 27 May. 2022.

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