Poem
//ˈpoʊ.əm// noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A literary piece written in verse.
"Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes."
- 2 a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines wordnet
- 3 A piece of writing in the tradition of poetry, an instance of poetry.
- 4 A piece of poetic writing, that is with an intensity or depth of expression or inspiration greater than is usual in prose.
Example
More examples"David has a keen interest in aesthetics — the qualities that make a painting, sculpture, musical composition, or poem pleasing to the eye, ear, or mind."
Etymology
From Middle French poème, from Latin poēma, from Ancient Greek ποίημα (poíēma), from ποιέω (poiéō, “I make”). Displaced native Old English lēoþ.
Related phrases
More for "poem"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.