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
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 Xi remained here in Taninli, but the lesser fay retreated to their own hollows and mountains and forests.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Some of the imprisoned fay looked like harmless children, and these horrified her the most, for she wondered if any of them had ever been sheltered in that nursery.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
This year, however, there have only been eight tropical storms: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo and Hanna.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Orange Lutheran gains 6-5 tight end Hudson Ploog and linebacker Jamaal Fay, who started for two years at Leuzinger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
"Mick showed great strength and dignity in light of his diagnosis MND," Fay said.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
Fay was tall, round-shouldered, and bald, and wore a baseball cap with a state corrections emblem.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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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.
