fanfare
Americannoun
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fanfares
plural
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a flourish or short air played on trumpets or the like.
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an ostentatious display or flourish.
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publicity or advertising.
noun
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a flourish or short tune played on brass instruments, used as a military signal, at a ceremonial event, etc
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an ostentatious flourish or display
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fanfare
1760–70; < French, expressive word akin to fanfaron fanfaron.
Explanation
Fanfare is a loud, proud burst of something to get attention. If you open up a carpet store with one of those sky-sweeping lights, lots of balloons, and a brass band, you’re doing it with great fanfare. Originally fanfare meant a short burst of music played by trumpeters, usually when someone important entered a room. But these days we describe anything as fanfare that has the same feeling as a burst of trumpets. If you’re a TV executive with a new show you think is going to be a big hit, roll it out with fanfare–—ad campaigns, billboards, celebrity parties!
Vocabulary lists containing fanfare
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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:
A revealing dispatch from across the pond: Kim Kardashian’s underwear empire has expanded to the U.K., to much fanfare.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
It seems unlikely that Marvel would keep Spider-Man’s involvement in “Doomsday” a secret for so long only to spill the beans without fanfare in a brief post-credits stinger, though.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner established his Situational Awareness hedge fund to great fanfare in 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
His arrival in government was greeted with much fanfare by some in the Labour Party and described as "radical" and "innovative".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Hidden surround-sound speakers blasted a brassy, heroic fanfare.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
The state banquet is the spectacular showstopper of a state visit, a glittering feast with speeches, royal toasts, trumpet fanfares and fancy food and wine.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025
It pays homage to classic Hollywood scores about ancient Rome, namely Miklós Rózsa’s “Ben-Hur,” with brass fanfares and stately processionals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
Bley’s influential body of work included delicate chamber miniatures and rugged, blaring fanfares, with a lot of varied terrain in between.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
Ms. Bley’s influential body of work included delicate chamber miniatures and rugged, blaring fanfares, with a lot of varied terrain in between.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Horns blew fanfares as Lionstar and Lady Lyanna pushed out from shore, moving downriver to clear the way for Seaswift.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
