celebrity
Americannoun
-
celebrities
plural
-
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
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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's one of the celebrity "elusive targets" Hitman's developers occasionally place in the game to encourage returning fans.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Lego hired Kelsey Gray Sherman, a vice president in WME’s entertainment marketing and advisory group, to be its head of celebrity talent and brand first partnerships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The one thing Americans love more than a celebrity feud is taking sides and declaring a victor after each round, even if the opponents don’t realize they’re being pitted against each other.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
Other celebrity musicians’ sons who tried major college football struggled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
The idea of celebrity first became prominent in the 1830s, with the advent of newspapers costing one or two cents.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Klum's party, which brings celebrities across the globe together dressed in their wild, weird and wonderful costumes.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
We knew all along who the traitors were, but here's the moment the contestants revealed their allegiances to their fellow celebrities.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
DeGeneres announced to viewers that her dog came from a “wonderful rescue place,” and soon after, Wagmor found pets for Jennifer Aniston, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and other celebrities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Lee’s past clients include a special FBI agent and celebrities like Liza Minnelli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
They kept their identities a secret, but they did reveal that they were both Japanese, which made them instant celebrities in Japan.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
