poem

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A piece of writing arranged in lines, using rhythm, sound and images to express feelings or ideas.

   Grammar: Countable: a poem, three poems; the general field is poetry.

   Patterns

   • write a poem
   • a poem about something
   • a poem by someone

   She wrote a poem about her grandmother's garden.

   The class had to memorize a short poem by Emily Dickinson.

   He read a poem aloud at the wedding.

2. 2nounsingularfigurativeapproving

   Something very beautiful or graceful that feels like a poem.

   Grammar: Used figuratively with a: the dancer's movement was a poem.

   Patterns

   • a poem in something

   The skater's final routine was a poem in motion.

   The chef's dessert was a poem of color and flavor.

   Her handwriting is a poem of curves and loops.

Word forms

Common combinations

write a poem

I decided to write a poem for her birthday.

recite a poem

Each child recited a poem at the assembly.

a love poem

He slipped a love poem into her bag.

an epic poem

The class studied an epic poem about a long voyage.

a poem about

She published a poem about the sea.

a rhyming poem

The children wrote a rhyming poem about frogs.

Synonyms and how they differ

verse

Verse can mean poetry in general or a single section of a poem, while poem means one complete piece.

rhyme

Rhyme is often a short, simple poem for children and implies rhyming lines.

ode

Ode is a formal poem addressed to a person or thing, so it is narrower than poem.

sonnet

Sonnet is a specific fourteen-line poem, so it names a form, not poems in general.

Opposites

Word family

poet noun

a person who writes poems

poetry noun

poems as a kind of literature

poetic adjective

relating to poetry, or beautiful and expressive

poetess noun

an old term for a woman poet

poetically adverb

in a poetic way

Commonly confused: poem or poetry?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “poem”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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