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
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Academy Awards, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lesson 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
In a first for the show, celebrity and pro pairings were revealed via three dance routines.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Griffin can’t assume the average “Talk Your Head Off” viewer thinks the old guys running it all have the same level of celebrity as, say, her friend Cher.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
SINGAPORE—Imagine a crypto billionaire paying a supposed $4.5 million fee so he can marry a Hollywood star—and then hiring a celebrity lawyer to get the cash back when the romance fizzled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The group also alerted AFP to additional inauthentic video reports that emerged Monday, seeking to discredit MS NOW's debunking of the celebrity deepfakes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
But I didn’t want to pretend to be a celebrity and act like a jerk, either.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
Bharat and Jyoti met at a magic show in 1977 and became a double act, with their career leading them to meet King Charles and Princess Anne as well as a host of celebrities.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Indeed, the man who commanded the biggest audience at the convention was not Kash Patel, Afroman, Jack Dorsey, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other of the celebrities present.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Coplan’s push to make Polymarket a household name led to expensive deals with A-list celebrities and sports stars, including LeBron James and a $300 million deal with Major League Baseball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
And yet she has a gift for making politics relatable without enraging rhetoric since, as she points out, political figures are celebrities too.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
All over the walls were framed, autographed photographs of major league stars, and also some political and show business celebrities who would come there to eat, bringing friends.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
