banquet
Americannoun
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a lavish meal; feast.
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a ceremonious public dinner, especially one honoring a person, benefiting a charity, etc.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a lavish and sumptuous meal; feast
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a ceremonial meal for many people, often followed by speeches
verb
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(intr) to hold or take part in a banquet
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(tr) to entertain or honour (a person) with a banquet
Usage
What does banquet mean? A banquet is a feast, as in Theo likes to host banquets so he can cook all his favorite foods for others. A banquet is also a public dinner, often very fancy and benefiting a charity or celebrating a person, as in Mac likes to organize the sports banquet at the end of the year for all the school’s teams. A banquet is basically a feast for a lot of people. It’s a large, sumptuous meal during a ceremonious gathering. Banquets can be arranged to benefit a charity or to celebrate a specific person or group of people. To banquet means to entertain with a banquet or to have a banquet. You’ll often hear the phrase banqueting hall, which is a room, especially in large medieval buildings, that is big enough to hold a banquet. Example: Doreen hosted a banquet to raise money for a children’s charity.
Related Words
See feast.
Other Word Forms
- banqueteer noun
- banqueter noun
Etymology
Origin of banquet
First recorded in 1450–1500; from Middle French, from Italian banchetto ( banc(o) “table” ( bank 2 ) + -etto -et ); replacing late Middle English bankat, banket(te), from Middle French
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.
The Waitress, a last-minute substitution at the banquet, is the mother of one of the dead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
As Chloe Lamford’s brilliant two-level set rotates, we—and the characters—travel from the banquet room to the classroom, through intermediate spaces like a bathroom, a kitchen and a supply closet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Trump also spoke of the warmth of his personal relationship with the King - "I think he's fantastic" - and the president said he was looking forward to hosting the King at a state banquet.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Ana Mendez, 43, who has worked as a banquet server at J.W.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
The evil goddess of Discord, Eris, was naturally not popular in Olympus, and when the gods gave a banquet they were apt to leave her out.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
