banquet

American  

[bang-kwit] / ˈbæŋ kwɪt /

noun

1. a lavish meal; feast.

2. a ceremonious public dinner, especially one honoring a person, benefiting a charity, etc.

---

verb (used with object)

banqueted, banqueting

1. to entertain or regale with a banquet.

   They banqueted the visiting prime minister in grand style.

verb (used without object)

banqueted, banqueting

1. to have or attend a banquet; feast.

   They banqueted on pheasant, wild boar, and three kinds of fish.

banquet British  

/ ˈbæŋkwɪt /

noun

1. a lavish and sumptuous meal; feast

2. a ceremonial meal for many people, often followed by speeches

---

verb

1. (intr) to hold or take part in a banquet

2. (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” ( see bank ²) + -etto -et ); replacing late Middle English bankat, banket(te), from Middle French

Explanation

It’s customary to celebrate Thanksgiving with a banquet, or elaborate feast — along with the requisite bickering between family members. If you sat down to a banquet in the earliest sense of this word, you’d surely be disappointed. Banquet comes from a French word meaning "bench," and originally a banquet was a small snack — something you could eat while sitting on a bench. If a particular family member isn’t cooperating at your next holiday meal, consider having him dine in this traditional fashion, on a bench somewhere far from the dining room table.

Example Sentences

“I want to thank President Xi, my friend, for this magnificent welcome,” Trump said in his toast at the state banquet, repeating the personal overture.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

The immediate answer is that several of next year’s Academy Award nominees are starting their long Oscar seasons at the splendid opening-night banquet where truffles adorned both the sea bass and the ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Officials attempted to block Fang multiple times on his way to the banquet.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

The size of the Chinese leadership’s presence at the banquet was smaller compared with during Trump’s last visit, in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

“Two-part. You are watching an old movie on TV, a movie from before the war. It shows a banquet in progress; the guests are enjoying raw oysters.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• feast
• festivity
• meal
• reception