fete

American  

[feyt, fet] / feɪt, fɛt /

French fête

noun

plural

fetes

1. a day of celebration; holiday.

   The Fourth of July is a great American fete.

2. a festive celebration or entertainment.

   The ball was the greatest fete of the season.

3. a religious feast or festival.

   a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint.

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verb (used with object)

feted, feting

1. to entertain at or honor with a fete.

   to fete a visiting celebrity.

2. to celebrate, laud, or acclaim.

   He was feted in the press and honored by fellow citizens.

fête British  

/ feɪt /

noun

1. a gala, bazaar, or similar entertainment, esp one held outdoors in aid of charity

2. a feast day or holiday, esp one of religious significance

3. informal an organized group entertainment, esp a party or a dance

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verb

1. (tr) to honour or entertain with or as if with a fête

   the author was fêted by his publishers

2. informal (intr) to join in a fête

Etymology

Origin of fete

First recorded in 1745–55; from French fête “holiday, festival,” from Old French feste “feast”; feast

Example Sentences

While many trek in from across the country or from the diaspora in Europe and the United States, some hotel owners also report growing numbers of foreign tourists as the annual fete grows.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

To fete the supersized 250th anniversary, a committee of local burghers has been meeting every few weeks for four years, preparing for as many as 100,000 people to show up this weekend.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2025

The organisers of the fete - a fundraiser for one of Trinidad and Tobago's top secondary schools – also hire "bin detectives" to ensure patrons properly sort and dispose their rubbish for recycling.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2025

For the last year, celebrations of hip-hop’s first five decades have attempted to capture the genre in full, but some early stars and scenes all but disappeared long before anyone came looking to fete them.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2024

Guests of some fete that seems to have ebbed rather than ended.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black