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

• 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

One of the most popular is called “Pursuing the Good Life”; this semester, readings included the Bible, Plato, Rousseau, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, along with poetry by Sylvia Plath and music by Beethoven.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 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

Michael Shanks’ “Together” is the only romance you’ll see this year that’s infatuated by John Carpenter and Plato.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025

Plato had a less sarcastic but more forceful opposition.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith