fay
noun
a fairy.
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fay
1 American
[fey]
/ feɪ /
noun
fay
2
American
[fey]
/ feɪ /
noun
Obsolete.
fay
3
American
[fey]
/ feɪ /
noun
Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
Fay
4
American
[fey]
/ feɪ /
Or
Faye
noun
fay
1
British
/ feɪ /
noun
adjective
-
of or resembling a fay
-
informal pretentious or precious
fay
2
British
/ feɪ /
verb
fay
3
British
/ feɪ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of fay1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English faie, faie, from Middle French feie, fee, Old French fae, fee, ultimately from Latin Fāta Fate ( def. 6 )
Origin of fay2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fai, fei, from Anglo-French, variant of feid faith
Origin of fay3
First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening
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:
The police presence inside Dodger Stadium on opening fay was alarming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2019
From Hurricane Frederic in 1979 to tropical storm fay, which ravaged Florida in late August, Americans affected by disaster have looked to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for aid.
From Time Magazine Archive
And makes us lift our arms to fay; A P. that thinks that we have got A pair of cltiekctis in each pot: A P. that's Dry in sovereign Maine, But intimately Wet as rain.
From Time Magazine Archive
The territory affected fay the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 included parts of what are currently known as the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
All the cages she had seen in her visions; the glimpses of the fay trapped within them—she knew now that they had been imprisoned there by this woman.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Here, Fay Victor, a uniquely daring and creative singer, adorns her vocal with all manner of creaking, wailing, moaning and scatting, yet she maintains Bey’s feeling of directing a congregation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
When Fay, the owner, went outside, a man was already there recording.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026
Fay Siu, who leads the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, offered emotional support to families at the mortuary, where she said the atmosphere was "miserable and bleak".
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
Fay Butler is in her first year of studying environmental science and looking for a place with friends.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
“We need not quarrel!” said Morgan le Fay.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
