poet

IPA/ˈpəʊɪt/
KK[pˈoət]IPA/ˈpəʊət/

poet — noun

  • poetsingular
  • poetsplural

1. someone whose work is writing poems.

1.nounB1
Definition

someone whose work is writing poems.

Example

At sixteen, Lina became the city's youngest poet to win the prize.

young poet

After school, Rosa became a poet and filled notebooks with river poems.

become a poet

Common collocations
  • young poet
  • famous poet
  • local poet
  • books by a poet
  • become a poet
Synonyms
  • writer

    broader word for anyone who produces written work, not only poems

  • lyricist

    writes song words rather than poems in general

  • bard

    literary or old-fashioned, often used for admired poets

Grammar Patterns

be a poet

poet from + place

books by + poet

young/famous/local poet

Usage Note

Usually countable. It often appears with words showing place, time, or reputation, such as local poet, young poet, or famous poet.

Common Mistakes

Li Bai was a famous poem in China.
Li Bai was a famous poet in China.
A poet is a person; a poem is the piece of writing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Poet is the normal word for someone whose creative work is writing poems. Writer is much broader and can describe a person who writes stories, news, essays, or many other kinds of text, so not every writer is a poet. Lyricist is different again: a lyricist writes words for songs, which may sound poetic but are meant to be sung. Bard is a literary or old-fashioned choice, often used with admiration or a playful tone. Use poet when you are speaking plainly: Li Bai was a famous poet. Use lyricist when the focus is song words: She became a lyricist for a pop band.

poet ↗writer ↗lyricist ↗bard ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • young poet
  • famous poet
  • local poet

Phrases

  • be a poet
  • become a poet
  • read a poet's work

Prepositions

  • poet from
  • books by a poet

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

English poet came through French and Latin from Greek poietes, which meant a maker or creator. The older history matches the modern idea well, because a poet is someone who makes something carefully with words.