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Definition of "poem" []

  • A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme. (noun)
  • A composition in verse rather than in prose. (noun)
  • A literary composition written with an intensity or beauty of language more characteristic of poetry than of prose. (noun)
  • A creation, object, or experience having beauty suggestive of poetry. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "poem" in a sentence
  • "What's the inspiration for the title poem of your new book?"
  • "Here's some of the title poem of What Work Is, with a soundtrack of Levine reading it."
  • "These lines are from the title poem of her last collection, about a park in her Morningside Heights neighborhood:"