poet

noun

po·​et ˈpō-ət 

-it,

 also  ˈpȯ(-)it

1

: one who writes poetry : a maker of verses

2

: one (such as a creative artist) of great imaginative and expressive capabilities and special sensitivity to the medium

Synonyms

• minstrel
• muse
• bard

Examples of poet in a Sentence

Emily Dickinson is famous as the poet who rarely left the house but often journeyed to the depths of the human heart.

Recent Examples on the Web

His spouse is perilously close to beginning an affair with the best man at their wedding, now one of his authors, a war poet disillusioned by violence and fanaticism. —Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025

My heroes weren’t wandering poets enraptured with the sea. —James Rebanks june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025

Police in Nevada County, California, searched for days to locate Welch; so did a a team of locals, campers and poets rallied by Gary Snyder, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and environmentalist. —Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 26 June 2025

But with them have perished a poet, an athlete, and children—the bright promise of tomorrow extinguished alongside the darkness of the old guard. —Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 17 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French poete, from Latin poeta, from Greek poiētēs maker, poet, from poiein to make; akin to Sanskrit cinoti he gathers, heaps up

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing poet

• poet laureate

Kids Definition

poet

noun

po·​et ˈpō-ət 

-it

: a person who writes poetry