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. 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 ² 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 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

• anti-Plato adjective
• pro-Plato adjective

Example Sentences

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

Cynicism was called a shortcut to virtue because it involved no lengthy study or mental training such as that demanded by Plato.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Police said they declared "Plato" moments after first hearing about the incident.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

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

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

Geographical knowledge in the classical period of fifth to fourth centuries bce—the times of Socrates, Plato, Pericles, Sophocles, and Aristotle—was not much broader than in Homer’s day, four hundred years earlier.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro