celebrity
Americannoun
-
celebrities
plural
-
a famous or well-known person.
-
fame; renown.
- Synonyms:
- stardom, eminence, note, distinction
noun
-
a famous person
a show-business celebrity
-
fame or notoriety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebrity
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A celebrity is a very famous person. If you single-handedly save an entire family from a burning building, you'll become a local celebrity. Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn't have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.
Vocabulary lists containing celebrity
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Academy Awards, List 5
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Lesson 5
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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:
However, there is a dark side to the celebrity.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
With his new-found celebrity, the parts he was offered improved greatly.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Plus, secrecy mixes with a studio’s unusual celebrity to make ‘You Can See Everything’ a smash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The one thing Americans love more than a celebrity feud is taking sides and declaring a victor after each round, even if the opponents don’t realize they’re being pitted against each other.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
Elisha was disappointed in Maggie’s broken promise; but even he couldn’t resist asking for a bit of celebrity gossip, “Tell me how Mrs. Pierce got on!”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Falling head-over-heels for a home without actually stepping foot in it is a universal experience—and it impacts celebrities, too.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
We knew all along who the traitors were, but here's the moment the contestants revealed their allegiances to their fellow celebrities.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Lee’s past clients include a special FBI agent and celebrities like Liza Minnelli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
For more than seven decades, the Pico Boulevard bathhouse has been a gathering place for immigrants and, over the years, a destination for celebrities including John Belushi, Kobe Bryant and Joe DiMaggio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
They were “visited daily by many of the nation’s most-respected and intelligent citizens,” including celebrities, intellectuals, leaders in the media and politics.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
