laureate

1 of 3

noun

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

: the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in an art or science

a Nobel laureate

specifically : poet laureate

laureateship

ˈlȯr-ē-ət-ˌship 

ˈlär-

noun

laureate

2 of 3

verb

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ˌāt 

ˈlär-

laureated; laureating

transitive verb

1

: to crown with or as if with a laurel wreath for excellence or achievement

2

: to appoint to the office of poet laureate

laureation

ˌlȯr-ē-ˈā-shən 

ˌlär-

noun

laureate

3 of 3

adjective

lau·​re·​ate ˈlȯr-ē-ət 

ˈlär-

1

: honored for outstanding achievement in an art or science

This was a term coined in the 1950s by Nobel laureate chemist Irving Langmuir …

—Gary Taubes

see also poet laureate

2

: crowned with laurel

Minted in France in 1807, the front of the medal shows the laureate head of Emperor Napoleon and, on the reverse, an eagle clutching a thunderbolt, part of the emperor's imperial seal.

—Brice Stump

Examples of laureate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

More than 75 Nobel laureates have signed onto a letter urging senators to reject the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Seventy-seven Nobel laureates are urging the Senate to vote down Donald Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the nation’s top health agency, pointing to his views against vaccines and fluoride in drinking water, among other things. —Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024

Verb

Kennedy has been one of the country’s most prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists and holds such fringe views that 77 Nobel laureates got together to plead with senators to oppose his appointment to HHS. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Seventy-seven Nobel laureates signed a letter urging the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), The New York Times reported Monday. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, crowned with laurel as a distinction, from Latin laureatus, from laurea laurel wreath, from feminine of laureus of laurel, from laurus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing laureate

• poet laureate

Kids Definition

laureate

noun

lau·​re·​ate

ˈlȯr-ē-ət,

ˈlär-

: a person honored for achievement in an art or science

especially : poet laureate

laureate adjective