poem

poem — noun

1. a written work in separate lines that uses rhythm and carefully chosen words to

1.nounB1
Definition

a written work in separate lines that uses rhythm and carefully chosen words to create feelings, pictures, or ideas.

Example

Maya read a short poem to the class on Monday.

read a poem to + audience

The teacher asked each child to write a poem about rain.

write a poem about + topic

Common collocations
  • love poem
  • write a poem
  • read a poem aloud
  • poem about nature
  • poem by a child
Synonyms
  • verse

    more literary and sometimes used for only one line or section, not a whole poem

  • lyric

    often a short personal poem, and also used for song words

  • poetry

    broader uncountable word for the art of writing poems or poems in general

Antonyms
  • prose

    ordinary writing that does not usually use poetic line breaks or rhythm

Grammar Patterns

write a poem

read a poem aloud

poem about + topic

poem by + writer

Usage Note

Usually countable. Use poem for one piece of writing, but use poetry for the art form or for poems in general.

Common Mistakes

She wrote a beautiful poetry for the school show.
She wrote a beautiful poem for the school show.
Poem means one piece of writing; poetry means the art form or poems as a group.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Poem usually means one complete piece of writing with lines, rhythm, or a special pattern of words. Poetry is broader: it names the art form itself or poems as a group, so learners often confuse the two. Verse is a more literary word and can mean either a whole poem or only one section of it, depending on context. Lyric often suggests a short poem about personal feeling, and it can also mean the words of a song. Use poem when you mean one text: She wrote a poem for her grandmother. Use poetry when you mean the field in general: He studies modern poetry at university.

poem ↗poetry ↗verse ↗lyric ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • love poem
  • short poem
  • poem collection

Phrases

  • write a poem
  • read a poem aloud
  • learn a poem by heart

Prepositions

  • poem about
  • poem by

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

English poem came through French and Latin from Greek poiema, a word meaning something made or created. That history fits the modern sense well, because a poem is seen as a crafted piece of writing rather than just ordinary speech.