poet laureate
noun
plural poets laureate or poet laureates
1
: a poet honored for achievement
2
a
: 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
Colorado's poet laureate, Andrea Gibson, died at home on Monday from ovarian cancer.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 16 July 2025
Even before their diagnosis, Gibson, the poet laureate of Colorado and the author of seven books, knew this.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 16 July 2025
Lately, however, the scruffy poet laureate of middle-aged melancholy has never been happier or more prolific, coming off a post-pandemic hot streak that saw the release of multiple National albums and now, his second release under his own name following 2020’s Serpentine Prison.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
In 2019, Harjo became the first Native American to be named U.S. poet laureate.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poet laureate
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Brittney Melton, NPR, 16 July 2025
Even before their diagnosis, Gibson, the poet laureate of Colorado and the author of seven books, knew this.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 16 July 2025
Lately, however, the scruffy poet laureate of middle-aged melancholy has never been happier or more prolific, coming off a post-pandemic hot streak that saw the release of multiple National albums and now, his second release under his own name following 2020’s Serpentine Prison.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
In 2019, Harjo became the first Native American to be named U.S. poet laureate.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poet laureate
Video
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'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
Cite this Entry
“Poet laureate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poet%20laureate. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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