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poem

poem

766 1.7
A short piece of writing that expresses feelings and ideas with rhythm and style
  • noun
  • /poʊəm/
translation icon : poema
  • The author has written a beautiful poem that captures the essence of love.
  • write poems
  • read poems
  • book of poems

I I I think that when a poem can move.

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Examples

  • The poem I wrote for the brothers... about the sun and the creatures of the Earth... please sing it to me.

  • When I want to write a poem, I sit and struggle, and nothing comes of it.

    Academic text (2011)
  • B is a simple poem from a mother to her daughter.

  • The bridge is Crane's great poem about America.

  • Longfellow used some of the money he made writing poems to buy men, women, and children their freedom.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We haven't studied any of her poems in school yet, but we will.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • This is a poem by Corky Gonzales.

  • Beyond that, elementary school introduced me to a whole world of poems that rhymed with cat and bat.

    Academic text (2011)
  • It's a poem.

  • In class, we analyzed a famous poem about nature written by Wordsworth.

Synonyms

verse
vspoem
  • Literature
77 3.9

Writing with a regular rhythm that often rhymes

is the general artistic written form using distinctive style and rhythm
lyric
vspoem
  • Literature
42 4.6

A short poem that expresses personal feelings in a songlike way

is the wider creative form that can include many different focuses
rhyme
vspoem
42 1.8

A short poem with matching end sounds

is the general creative writing form not limited to short rhyming pieces
sonnet
vspoem
  • Literature
29 6.2

A short poem of 14 lines with a set rhyme pattern often about love

is the general expressive writing form without fixed line or rhyme rules
ode
vspoem
  • Literature
22 7.8

A poem that praises someone or something in a formal, musical way

is the basic expressive form that does not require special address or structure
epic poem
vspoem
  • Literature
3 6.7

A long poem that tells the adventures and deeds of a famous hero

is the general creative form and can be short or long, not narrative only
quatrain
vspoem
  • Literature
2 7.4

A group of four lines in a poem often with a rhyme

is the larger artistic form that can include various stanza lengths and shapes
prose poem
vspoem
  • Literature
1 7.1

A short piece of writing in ordinary sentences that reads like a poem

is the usual line-based artistic writing using verse and rhythm explicitly
lyric poem
vspoem
  • Literature
1 4.8

A short poem that shows personal feelings, often like a song

is broader and covers many types beyond short, personal pieces
ghazal
vspoem
  • Literature
9.9

A poem made of pairs of rhyming lines that often talks about love or loss

is the general expressive writing form not bound to that specific pattern
concrete poem
vspoem
  • Literature
7.9

A poem in which the words form a picture of the subject

is the general expressive form focused on sound and rhythm rather than shape

Antonyms

46 3.1

Ordinary written or spoken language that is not poetry

Compounds

epic poem
  • Literature
3 6.7

A long poem that tells the adventures and deeds of a famous hero

prose poem
  • Literature
1 7.1

A short piece of writing in ordinary sentences that reads like a poem

tone poem
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A piece for orchestra that tells a story or paints a scene

lyric poem
  • Literature
1 4.8

A short poem that shows personal feelings, often like a song

concrete poem
  • Literature
7.9

A poem in which the words form a picture of the subject

heroic poem
  • Literature
7.4

A long poem that tells the brave deeds of a hero

symphonic poem
  • Specialized
7.9

A piece for orchestra in one long part that tells a story

How Long

epic
  • Literature
44 5.5
poem
766 1.7
ode
  • Literature
22 7.8
lyric
  • Literature
42 4.6
epigram
  • Literature
3 8.0

Surface Forms

poem singular
poems plural

Etymology

The word poem comes from an old Greek word poema meaning 'something made', from poiein 'to make'. So a poem is a carefully 'made' piece of writing that uses rhythm and style to express feelings and ideas, and it shares the same root as poet.