poet
noun
a person who composes poetry.
poet
1 American
[poh-it]
/ ˈpoʊ ɪt /
poet.
2
American
abbreviation
-
poetic.
-
poetical.
-
poetry.
poet
British
/ ˈpəʊɪt /
noun
-
a person who writes poetry
-
a person with great imagination and creativity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of poet
1250–1300; Middle English poete < Latin poēta < Greek poiētḗs poet, literally, maker, equivalent to poiē-, variant stem of poieîn to make + -tēs agent noun suffix
Explanation
If you’re a poet and you know it, you’re someone who writes poems. Poets have been charming people with their words ever since Orpheus sang his way to Hades and back. A poet is a writer who regularly publishes poems, but a poet can also be anyone who uses language creatively. Try it! The root of poet can be traced back to the Greek poein, "to make." Some poets write in carefully metered, rhyming lines, while others compose looser prose poems or "free verse," and the very best poets convey something that's essential or true. The Romantic poet William Wordsworth described good poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”
Vocabulary lists containing poet
Reading: Literature - Poetry - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Poetry - Middle School
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Reading: Literature - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
Sitting nearby and absorbed in a book is James Schuyler, a poet of the New York School with whom Porter shared intellectual and romantic affinities, and who lived with the Porters for an extended period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
For Jesús Roberto Ramírez, a 36-year-old poet and content creator, the phrase touches on something deeper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” the poet Robert Burns wrote centuries ago.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
"He was so interested in the poet Tony Harrison. So I gave him a lot more material, including a cassette recording of one of Harrison's latest poems, called V."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“Leading her to the family vault of the Kanes … he knocked on the iron door, and repeated lines from the poet Longfellow’s “Psalm of Life.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
“Andrea was truly a rock star poet. So many of Andrea’s words have quietly guided me through life’s twists and turns- I will forever be so grateful.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025
“It is an invitation to think. He’s a poet. He’s a political author but not a politician. And that is why Brecht will always have a future.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
“With both of those people there is what you might call a touch of the poet. They go deep very quickly and effortlessly. It’s not flimflam,” says Branagh.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
"I write like a black poet. I frequently write from a black perspective."
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2016
“Nope. Not a poet. No picture book empire.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
A city willing to step on its poets is one confident in its memory.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
After speaking with other poets whose work had appeared on state exam papers, she believes that is standard practice, with the selections kept confidential until the exams take place.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
In doing so, Salgado joined a growing community of poets on social media — helping revive an art form which is being consumed at higher rates among U.S. young adults in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
These are poets who sought to alter the reader’s perception of reality by way of arresting, often sense-defying arrangements of language and imagery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
But what did the poets know about survival?
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
