Plato

American  

[pley-toh] / ˈpleɪ toʊ /

noun

1. 427–347 b.c., Greek philosopher.

2. a walled plain in the second quadrant of the face of the moon, having a dark floor: about 60 miles (96 kilometers) in diameter.

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Plato ¹ British  

/ ˈpleɪtəʊ /

noun

1. ?427–?347 _bc , Greek philosopher: with his teacher Socrates and his pupil Aristotle, he is regarded as the initiator of western philosophy. His influential theory of ideas, which makes a distinction between objects of sense perception and the universal ideas or forms of which they are an expression, is formulated in such dialogues as Phaedo, Symposium, and The Republic. Other works include The Apology and Laws

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Plato ² British  

/ ˈpleɪtəʊ /

noun

1. a crater in the NW quadrant of the moon, about 100 km in diameter, that has a conspicuous dark floor

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Plato Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek philosopher, often considered the most important figure in Western philosophy. Plato was a student of Socrates and later became the teacher of Aristotle. He founded a school in Athens (see also Athens) called the Academy. Most of his writings are dialogues. He is best known for his theory that ideal Forms or Ideas, such as Truth or the Good, exist in a realm beyond the material world. In fact, however, his chief subjects are ethics and politics. His best-known dialogues are the Republic, which concerns the just state, and the Symposium, which concerns the nature of love.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Plato
  adjective
• pro-Plato
  adjective

Example Sentences

Intellectual figures from Plato to Machiavelli and Thomas Carlyle emphasized personal traits such as superior wisdom and exceptional moral character in choosing leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Plato saw it as an inevitable consequence of democracy, when a quest for freedom leads to excess and the populace demands a strongman.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026

It would be easier to argue that the best defense against entropy is to stand athwart any change in taste and manners, as Plato advised in the “Republic.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Operation Plato is a set of responses by the emergency services to large-scale incidents including "marauding terrorist attacks".

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

She rarely spoke, and played cat’s cradle with Plato during the service.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides