poem

noun

po·​em ˈpō-əm 

-im,

ˈpōm,

 also  ˈpȯ(-)im,

ˈpō-ˌem 

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

Synonyms

• lyric
• rune
• song
• verse

Examples of poem in a Sentence

He wrote a poem about his parents.

your assignment is to write two poems about springtime

Recent Examples on the Web

In an interview with Parents magazine in 2020, Duff revealed that Luca wrote a poem about their family and read it aloud at her and Koma's wedding. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

English Pen, a human rights organization, translated one of her poems to raise awareness. —Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Marita Golden was a sophomore at American University in 1969 when Giovanni selected one of her poems for an anthology. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024

Her poems grew out of her feelings about the assassinations of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X and the death of her grandmother. —Astrid Kayembe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing poem

• found poem
• heroic poem
• prose poem
• symphonic poem
• tone poem

Kids Definition

poem

noun

po·​em ˈpō-əm  -im 

ˈpōm,

 also  ˈpō-ˌem

: a composition in verse