celebrity
Americannoun
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celebrities
plural
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a famous or well-known person.
-
fame; renown.
- Synonyms:
- stardom, eminence, note, distinction
noun
-
a famous person
a show-business celebrity
-
fame or notoriety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebrity
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A celebrity is a very famous person. If you single-handedly save an entire family from a burning building, you'll become a local celebrity. Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn't have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.
Vocabulary lists containing celebrity
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Academy Awards, List 5
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Lesson 5
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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 passer who was once projected as a first-round pick after rising to celebrity while playing at Colorado under his father, Deion, dropped all the way to the fifth round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Four seasons on “Heroes” launched her to a level of celebrity few child actors achieve.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Here, “fame” doesn’t merely suggest flashy movie-star celebrity; it’s a status you can attain in any industry, so long as you climb to its upper ranks.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
The celebrity gossip blogger became as famous as the stars he covered before social media upended his business model.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
As she answered his questions, the “small, magnetic … negligently dressed” former celebrity paced the room, buried her face in her hands, and played “fitful floods of wild and incoherent melody” on a piano.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
When celebrities die young, death itself too often becomes their primary legacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Why is Crocs also still working with celebrities, like its recent ambassador Pete Davidson?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The discourse around these celebrities shouldn’t center, for instance, on whatever message their body image might be sending to young people who look up to them.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
But hours after a lengthy list of celebrities were seen entering the venue in gowns and suits, large screens attached to the arena announced publicly that the famous couple were officially wed.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
They get to go for free and meet all sorts of basketball celebrities.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
