Betjeman

American  

[bech-uh-muhn] / ˈbɛtʃ ə mən /

noun

1. Sir John, 1906–84, English poet: poet laureate 1972–84.

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Betjeman British  

/ ˈbɛtʃəmən /

noun

1. Sir John . 1906–84, English poet, noted for his nostalgic and humorous verse and essays and for his concern for the preservation of historic buildings, esp of the Victorian era. Poet laureate (1972–84)

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Example Sentences

In reality, Ms. Allen argues, Betjeman was a maverick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

By 1961, he had become an important enough voice to discuss the state of poetry on television with John Betjeman, who would later be named Britain’s poet laureate.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2023

Ricky Gervais put its trading estate on the map in The Office, while poet John Betjeman famously invited friendly bombs to fall on Slough.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2021

Instead, I bought two Twixes from the shop, went back upstairs and watched that clip of Maggie Smith reading John Betjeman that’s been doing the rounds.

From The Guardian • Oct. 18, 2019

After the break, he continued talking to Betjeman.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 25, 2019