feat
1 Americannoun
-
feats
plural
-
a noteworthy or extraordinary act or achievement, usually displaying boldness, skill, etc..
Arranging the treaty was a diplomatic feat.
- Synonyms:
- accomplishment
-
Obsolete. a specialized skill; profession.
noun
Synonym Usage
See achievement.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of feat1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English fet, fait, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin factum, noun use of neuter past participle of facere “to do, make”; see fact
Origin of feat2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French fait “made (to fit),” from Latin factus “done, made,” past participle of facere “to do, make”
Explanation
A feat is an exemplary, even bold achievement, often an act of great courage or skill. Getting your cat to wear a leash was quite a feat. The noun feat developed from the Latin facere, meaning "make do." Today, it gets applied to a deed that's noble or out of the ordinary. Have you ever accomplished amazing feats in your dreams, like flying? If so, I hope you didn't wake up on the roof. Maybe you perform feats of daring in your everyday life, if you're a firefighter or a tightrope walker. If you're afraid of heights, just taking the glass elevator counts as a courageous feat!
Vocabulary lists containing feat
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"Why Exploring the Ocean Is Mankind's Next Giant Leap," Vocabulary from the commentary
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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:
The bigger feat, arguably, was the civic work to make an event like this possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Biles, Dominique Dawes, who competed in her third Olympics in 2000, Linda Metheny and Muriel Grossfield are the only women to accomplish the feat for the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Having climbed up the mountain's second hardest route, she added: "It was such a big achievement for us, because we're in our 50s, it's not a small feat."
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
After studying at the Juilliard School of Music in Manhattan, at 22 Marsalis became the first artist to win Grammys in both classical and jazz categories at once—a feat he repeated the very next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
One hand went out, and the ball fell into it in what was either a feat of remarkable timing or incredible luck.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
Highlights include an extraordinary park, cascading waterfall, structural feats and unique vantages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Ship-to-ship transfers do not require any particular engineering feats, as they have been routine elsewhere in the energy world.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Yet feats of demography are only part of what “Revolver” bequeathed.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Swarthmore College was recently unable to corroborate a few applications claiming an astonishing number of academic and athletic feats, said admission director Isthier Chaudhury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
They could perform glamorous feats beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
And look how well my garments sit upon me; Much feater than before; my brother's servants Were then my fellows; now they are my men.
From The Tempest by William Shakespeare
True: And look how well my garments sit upon me; Much feater than before: my brother’s servants 265 Were then my fellows; now they are my men.
From The Tempest The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] by John Glover
Ay, he's the featest humming-bird, On airiest of wings He poises pendent o'er the poem That blossoms as it sings— God friend him as he dips his beak In such delicious things!
From Riley Songs of Friendship by James Whitcomb Riley
As for me, get me my bonnet, Jen—my best Sunday leghorn with the puce chenille in it—I must look my featest going to a great house to pay my respects.
From The Dew of Their Youth by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
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.
