feast
Americannoun
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feasts
plural
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any rich or abundant meal.
The steak dinner was a feast.
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a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests.
a wedding feast.
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something highly agreeable.
The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.
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a periodical celebration or time of celebration, usually of a religious nature, commemorating an event, person, etc..
Every year, in September, the townspeople have a feast in honor of their patron saint.
verb (used without object)
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feasts,
present (3rd person singular)
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feasted,
past participle, past
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feasting
present participle
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to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.
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to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.
verb (used with object)
-
feasts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feasted,
past participle, past
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feasting
present participle
idioms
noun
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a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people
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a periodic religious celebration
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something extremely pleasing or sumptuous
a feast for the eyes
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a festival or other event of variable date
verb
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(intr)
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to eat a feast
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(usually foll by on) to enjoy the eating (of), as if feasting
to feast on cakes
-
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(tr) to give a feast to
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to take great delight (in)
to feast on beautiful paintings
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(tr) to regale or delight
to feast one's mind or one's eyes
Synonym Usage
Feast, banquet imply large social events, with an abundance of food. A feast is a meal with a plenteous supply of food and drink for a large company: to provide a feast for all company employees. A banquet is an elaborate feast for a formal and ceremonious occasion: the main speaker at a banquet.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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feasternoun
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prefeastnoun
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overfeastverb
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outfeastverb (used with object)
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feastlessadjective
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unfeastedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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feastsimple
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feastssimple
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have feastedperfect
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has feastedperfect
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am feastingprogressive
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are feastingprogressive
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is feastingprogressive
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have been feastingperfect progressive
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has been feastingperfect progressive
Past
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feastedsimple
-
had feastedperfect
-
was feastingprogressive
-
were feastingprogressive
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had been feastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feast
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English feste, from Old French, from Latin fēsta, neuter plural (reinterpteted as feminine singular noun in Vulgar Latin ) of fēstus “festal, festive,” equivalent to fēs- (akin to fair 2 ) + -tus adjective suffix
Explanation
A feast is a huge, delicious meal that's served at a party or celebration. You might have a feast to celebrate the last day of school every year. You can use the word feast in several different ways. It's good for describing the meal you eat at a party, or as a verb meaning "to eat in celebration." You might feast for several days during your family reunion. You can also use feast figuratively to mean a delight, as when you say, "Your garden is a feast for the eyes, Grandma." The Latin root, festa, means "holidays or feasts," from festus, "festive, joyful, or merry."
Vocabulary lists containing feast
Eat Your Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Joyous Kwanzaa! Vocabulary Worth Celebrating
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Encounter"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There is plenty of scope for awkward potential snubs for the tabloids to feast on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
I head for another feast, another set of fires.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was a feast day and everyone was celebrating, but M's daughter stayed in her room crying.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
This year the Dodgers’ offense has been a case of feast or famine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Nathan went to break the dams and I with him and with me our children, sunken-eyed, noisy as they had not been for many days at the thought of the feast, carrying nets and baskets.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
But it also reminds me of why Ashitaka’s central question remains as moving as the film’s visual feasts: Why can’t humans and the forest live together in harmony?
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
And I grew up in a large extended family, eating kamayan feasts together with our hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Libyans have been enjoying Ramadan with feasts and fireworks -- but soaring prices, a devalued currency and political divisions have left many with little to celebrate.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
December’s feasts and fêtes are a cook’s crucible, but by January, chances are your kitchen stamina has begun to sputter out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Hob women rarely participated in the feasts, but Nag hustled about in her helpful way, rounding up little ones from their distractions.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Startups that spent years fighting for crumbs of the Pentagon’s budget as the handful of large defense corporations feasted are suddenly finding themselves welcomed to the table and courted by Silicon Valley venture capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
The press feasted on Duesberg’s self-portrayal as the victim of ostracism arising from professional jealousies — a target of cancel culture before that was a thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Australia resumed at 271-4 with Head on 142 and Carey 52 and they feasted early on some mediocre bowling.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
When Jonah Ayunga and his marauding band of brothers feasted on Celtic's desperate confusion and put them to sleep with two goals in a dozen second-half minutes, Hampden erupted.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
She closed her eyes and saw One Horn feasted, honored, and decorated with her grandmother’s finest beadwork.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
They remain for a year, feasting and recovering, before Circe helps them prepare for the journey ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland have spent the past four weeks feasting on floundering defenses all over America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Now the cubs are feasting on solid foods and love fruits and leaves from native plants, and they’ll continue exploring the larger outdoor area as they grow more confident.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
“We’re all fighting over scraps instead of feasting on prosperity,” said real-estate developer Carl Koelbel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The evening would be filled with masking, dancing, and feasting.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
