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Angelou

American

[an-juh-loo] / ˈæn dʒəˌlu /

noun

Maya Marguerite Johnson, 1928–2014, U.S. writer, playwright, and performer.

Angelou British

/ ˈændʒəluː /

noun

Maya, real name Marguerite Johnson. born 1928, US Black novelist, poet, and dramatist. Her works include the autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) and its sequels

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Angelou made it to the City Division V final before losing in overtime.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

Yentob profiled and interviewed a wide range of important cultural and creative figures over the years, including David Bowie, Charles Saatchi, Maya Angelou and Grayson Perry, for TV series such as Omnibus, Arena and Imagine.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

Yentob continued to front Imagine, making memorable portraits of writers like Maya Angelou, architect Frank Gehry and artist Rachel Whiteread.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, writer Maya Angelou famously advised, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”

From Slate • May 6, 2025

I want to take the poster of Maya Angelou home, and I’d like to keep some of my tree pictures and my turkey-bone sculpture.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023