Betjeman

American  

[bech-uh-muhn] / ˈbɛtʃ ə mən /

noun

1. Sir John, 1906–84, English poet: poet laureate 1972–84.

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Betjeman British  

/ ˈbɛtʃəmən /

noun

1. Sir John . 1906–84, English poet, noted for his nostalgic and humorous verse and essays and for his concern for the preservation of historic buildings, esp of the Victorian era. Poet laureate (1972–84)

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Example Sentences

John Betjeman, for example, was for a time England’s bestselling poet, until his optimism, traditionalism and accessibility earned him the smear of being “retrograde.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

By 1961, he had become an important enough voice to discuss the state of poetry on television with John Betjeman, who would later be named Britain’s poet laureate.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2023

King Charles's portrait is the first coin design undertaken by Mr Jennings, but his public sculptures include poets John Betjeman, in St Pancras Station in London, and Philip Larkin in Hull.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2022

It’s just as well that John Betjeman was never a professor at Babson.

From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2020

During the first half of the show, Frost interviewed John Betjeman, the poet laureate.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 25, 2019