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
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.
See Examples For:
Building on her fame, in the mid-’70s Parton decided to reinvent herself by reaching beyond the confines of country music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
And when a child actor's career changes or comes to an end, they are left without the dopamine of fame and money that came with their identity as an actor, cautioned Trautman.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Caicedo’s raw, colloquial style was ahead of its time, a herald of the rebellion against magical realism that would transform Latin American literature and shoot writers like Roberto Bolaño to fame two decades later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The trio also gained fame for their popular music videos, including "Gimme All Your Lovin,'" going on to win three MTV Video Music Awards.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
He enjoyed both fame and notoriety for a brief time.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Oysters are a staple of brunch menus and seafood buffets across Australia, with local varieties famed for their rich, creamy flavour.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2023, human remains found on a glacier close to Switzerland's famed Matterhorn were confirmed to be those of a German climber who had been missing since 1986.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Police recovered artworks from the artist’s famed 1947 “Jazz” series, which were taken from a Brazilian library last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Bulldozers broke ground earlier this month on the public lands that blend desert, river and mountain ecosystems and are home to the famed Santa Elena Canyon.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
I feel like one of the famed courtiers depicted in the beauty-scopes or painted on Trianon's promenades and avenue boards.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
In the 1930s, drought and bad faming methods destroyed 100 million acres of farmland around Oklahoma and forced families to leave, many for California.
From Time ● Apr. 10, 2015
In Strype's edition, 1720, he says, concerning this gate, "Leaving out the fable thereof faming it to be builded by King Belin, a Briton, long before the incarnation of Christ."
From Notes and Queries, Number 11, January 12, 1850 by Various
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.
