confetti
Americanplural noun
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confetto
singular
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(used with a singular verb) small bits of paper, usually colored, thrown or dropped from a height to enhance the gaiety of a festive event, as a parade, wedding, or New Year's Eve party.
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confections; bonbons.
noun
Etymology
Origin of confetti
1805–15; < Italian, plural of confetto comfit
Explanation
Confetti is the small bits of paper that you festively throw at a celebration. People at New Year's parties often mark the stroke of midnight by tossing confetti into the air. It's traditional to throw rice at the newly married couple after a wedding ceremony, but sometimes guests throw confetti instead. Other places you might see (or throw) confetti are parades, game shows, sporting events, and parties. Confetti is usually made of paper, though sometimes it's plastic or shiny mylar. Confetti is the plural form of the Italian confetto, "sweetmeat," and the tradition began with small candies thrown during Italian parades and celebrations.
Vocabulary lists containing confetti
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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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.
Office assistants popped confetti streamers for a man recently released on bond from the Adelanto immigration detention facility, which Navarrete visits at least once a week, after she successfully petitioned a judge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Finish with finely grated lemon zest and a confetti of chopped chives.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Trump stayed put, however, clapping and smiling until Rodri thrusted the trophy skyward and gold confetti shot from cannons behind them to officially start the celebration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Wait: There are millions of people on the lower Manhattan streets, confetti fluttering in the air, a team being feted on stage at City Hall…and it isn’t the Yankees?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The provoking girl was picking one last flake of confetti off her front fur.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
