fay
noun
a fairy.
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fay
1 American
[fay]
/ feɪ /
noun
fay
2
American
[fay]
/ feɪ /
noun
Obsolete.
fay
3
American
[fay]
/ feɪ /
noun
Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
Fay
4
American
[fay]
/ 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
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
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
Every last one of the fay came to watch her pass this time.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
She wondered if it was some kind of fay.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Viewers can expect some fresh ideas, and executive producer Sarah Fay said they "always want to push the envelope" with the show's elaborate tasks.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
But such belief in the face’s veracity, argues Fay Bound-Alberti in her fascinating “The Face: A Cultural History,” is hardly universal—and, St. Jerome aside, relatively modern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
I had a roommate in college who collected Margiela and Morgane Le Fay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"Mick showed great strength and dignity in light of his diagnosis MND," Fay said.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
The important thing is that Fay is bright and good- hearted.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
