fiesta
Americannoun
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fiestas
plural
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any festival or festive celebration.
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(in Spain and Latin America) a festive celebration of a religious holiday.
noun
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a religious festival or celebration, esp on a saint's day
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a holiday or carnival
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fiesta
1835–45, < Spanish < Latin fēsta; see feast
Explanation
A fiesta is a celebration or a party. Your parents might plan a fiesta to celebrate your high school graduation. You can use the word fiesta for any party, but it usually refers to a large feast, festival, or very extravagant party. In Spanish, fiesta means "feast," and in many Spanish-speaking places, a fiesta celebrates a saint's day or other religious occasion. The word comes from the Latin festus, "festive, joyful, or merry."
Vocabulary lists containing fiesta
Cinco de Mayo: Words to Celebrate Mexico
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Mexico - Introductory
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Mexico - Middle School
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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:
He said he called Leicester manager and fellow countryman Claudio Ranieri, and offered to sing in the "big fiesta".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ten men suffered injuries Tuesday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain's famed San Fermin festival, bringing to 57 the total number of daredevils injured during this year's fiesta.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
After Mexico’s stunning 2-0 win over Ecuador on Tuesday—its first in a World Cup elimination match in 40 years—more than one million people took to the capital’s streets for an all-night fiesta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
He particularly likes the fiesta Xatruch throws at the bar on Nochebuena, as she cooks a feast for everyone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2025
It was the last day of the fiesta.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Shops remained closed, bread was in short supply and Ceuta's annual fiestas have been cancelled as Spain's North African enclave struggled to cope after thousands of migrants poured in from neighbouring Morocco.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Valencia regional government Deputy President Aitana Mas has left the door open to debate whether to prohibit these kinds of fiestas, saying that the current legislation is “not enough.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2022
Villages and towns across Spain hold the fiestas but they were prohibited last year as the country brought in tough health restrictions.
From Reuters ● Sep. 5, 2021
Oak View residents wonder whether there will be any fiestas navideñas this year, amid state mandates to avoid large gatherings and maintain social distance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2020
El Patron’s voice filled with wonder as he described the hacienda where he had attended fiestas so long ago.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
