feast

American  

[feest] / fist /

noun

1. any rich or abundant meal.

   The steak dinner was a feast.

2. a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests.

   a wedding feast.

3. something highly agreeable.

   The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.

4. 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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.

2. to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide or entertain with a feast.

idioms

1. feast one's eyes,  to gaze with great joy, admiration, or relish.

   to feast one's eyes on the Grand Canyon.

feast British  

/ fiːst /

noun

1. a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people

2. a periodic religious celebration

3. something extremely pleasing or sumptuous

   a feast for the eyes

4. a festival or other event of variable date

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verb

1. (intr)

   1. to eat a feast

   2. (usually foll by on) to enjoy the eating (of), as if feasting

      to feast on cakes

2. (tr) to give a feast to

3. to take great delight (in)

   to feast on beautiful paintings

4. (tr) to regale or delight

   to feast one's mind or one's eyes

Related Words

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

• feaster noun
• feastless adjective
• outfeast verb (used with object)
• overfeast verb
• prefeast noun
• unfeasted adjective

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

Example Sentences

She said that I was stingy and mean, an outcast at life’s rich feast.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, the feast didn’t lead to lasting peace between the two groups, and thousands were killed in King Philip’s War in 1675.

From Barron's

Only the best parts of the Thanksgiving feast!

From Salon

Traffic was expected to have peaked Tuesday, with more than 52,000 flights set to ferry flyers to their feasts.

From Los Angeles Times

That knowledge has led to strategies—which GLP-1 patients have been discussing in internet chat rooms and on social-media sites—to skip or delay doses to maximize appetites for the feast.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barbecue
• dinner
• festival
• festivity
• fiesta
• gala
• picnic
• repast