fame
Americannoun
-
widespread reputation, especially of a favorable character; renown; public eminence.
to seek fame as an opera singer.
-
common estimation or opinion generally held of a person or thing; reputation.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the state of being widely known or recognized; renown; celebrity
-
archaic rumour or public report
verb
Other Word Forms
- famed adjective
- fameless adjective
- outfame verb (used with object)
- self-fame noun
Etymology
Origin of fame
1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin fāma talk, public opinion, repute, akin to fārī to speak
Explanation
Fame is what you have if you're a celebrity: a lot of people know who you are. A musician's fame might mean she wears sunglasses and a baseball cap to disguise herself when she's in public. Movie stars, rock stars, well-known public figures — these are all people who have achieved some amount of fame. You may have a kind of fame in a much smaller sphere: "She won every spelling bee in the state, which gave her some fame at her school." Fame is an Old French word that means "reputation or renown," from the Latin fama, "rumor, reputation, or renown," and also "ill-fame" or "scandal."
Vocabulary lists containing fame
Academy Awards, List 5
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"Mysteries of the Ancient Past"
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"The New Colossus"
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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.
More than money, power or fame, faith alone could speak to one’s eternal fate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
The reasons are so obvious that, to the film, they’re barely worth mentioning: age, gender, era, fame and skill.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Matthew Macfadyen is Les Littlejohn, the small-making husband, whose public claim to fame is a superior GMO tomato.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
He says "a big splash of fame" highlighting how the area was mainly made up of independent shops had drawn people to Cardigan.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Hayward, Minnesota’s claim to fame is being the site of the world’s longest horseshoe game in 1930.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
