poet

¹ American  

[poh-it] / ˈpoʊ ɪt /

noun

1. a person who composes poetry.

   Synonyms:

   bard, versifier

2. a person who has the gift of poetic thought, imagination, and creation, together with eloquence of expression.

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poet. ² American  

abbreviation

1. poetic.

2. poetical.

3. poetry.

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poet British  

/ ˈpəʊɪt /

noun

1. a person who writes poetry

2. a person with great imagination and creativity

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Other Word Forms

• nonpoet noun
• poetless adjective
• poetlike adjective

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

Example Sentences

As much as Ayewa is a poet and musician, she is also an educator and organizer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Ms. Lewin is particularly suspicious of Keats House in London’s Hampstead, where the poet lived for less than two years, hardly long enough to leave a material impression on his surroundings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

A published poet, Cummins writes daily, and as he describes it, that means he is sometimes “wallowing in nostalgia” or “angsting over the future.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

The subterranean passage was part of Horsley Towers in Leatherhead, a grand mansion once lived in by Lovelace, also the only legitimate child of scandalous 19th Century poet Lord Byron.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

“I rhymed! Did you hear that? I’m a poet and didn’t know it, although my shoes kind of show it.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• artist
• author
• dramatist
• lyricist
• writer