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

• bard
• minstrel
• muse
• poetaster
• rhymester
• rimester
• versifier

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

Interestingly, many of the elementary schools built here from 1886-1891 were named for poets, including John Greenleaf Whittier. —Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025

Returning to these communities’ intimate relationship with sand can provide a powerful new perspective on urban development, according to poet and literary critic Joanne Leow. —H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025

Malfatti’s 1929 Portrait of Oswald, a vividly colored of portrait of a man whose striking green eyes shine like emeralds, depicts Oswald de Andrade, the Brazilian modernist poet and novelist and a member of the Grupo dos Cinco. —Emi Eleode, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025

The writer, poet and philosopher spent the last five years of his life in Ravenna in exile. —Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 26 Feb. 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