feast
Americannoun
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feasts
plural
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any rich or abundant meal.
The steak dinner was a feast.
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a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests.
a wedding feast.
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something highly agreeable.
The Rembrandt exhibition was a feast for the eyes.
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a periodical celebration or time of celebration, usually of a religious nature, commemorating an event, person, etc..
Every year, in September, the townspeople have a feast in honor of their patron saint.
verb (used without object)
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feasts,
present (3rd person singular)
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feasted,
past participle, past
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feasting
present participle
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to have or partake of a feast; eat sumptuously.
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to dwell with gratification or delight, as on a picture or view.
verb (used with object)
-
feasts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feasted,
past participle, past
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feasting
present participle
idioms
noun
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a large and sumptuous meal, usually given as an entertainment for several people
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a periodic religious celebration
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something extremely pleasing or sumptuous
a feast for the eyes
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a festival or other event of variable date
verb
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(intr)
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to eat a feast
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(usually foll by on) to enjoy the eating (of), as if feasting
to feast on cakes
-
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(tr) to give a feast to
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to take great delight (in)
to feast on beautiful paintings
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(tr) to regale or delight
to feast one's mind or one's eyes
Synonym Usage
Feast, banquet imply large social events, with an abundance of food. A feast is a meal with a plenteous supply of food and drink for a large company: to provide a feast for all company employees. A banquet is an elaborate feast for a formal and ceremonious occasion: the main speaker at a banquet.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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feasternoun
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prefeastnoun
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overfeastverb
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outfeastverb (used with object)
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feastlessadjective
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unfeastedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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feastsimple
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feastssimple
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have feastedperfect
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has feastedperfect
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am feastingprogressive
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are feastingprogressive
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is feastingprogressive
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have been feastingperfect progressive
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has been feastingperfect progressive
Past
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feastedsimple
-
had feastedperfect
-
was feastingprogressive
-
were feastingprogressive
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had been feastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feast
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English feste, from Old French, from Latin fēsta, neuter plural (reinterpteted as feminine singular noun in Vulgar Latin ) of fēstus “festal, festive,” equivalent to fēs- (akin to fair 2 ) + -tus adjective suffix
Explanation
A feast is a huge, delicious meal that's served at a party or celebration. You might have a feast to celebrate the last day of school every year. You can use the word feast in several different ways. It's good for describing the meal you eat at a party, or as a verb meaning "to eat in celebration." You might feast for several days during your family reunion. You can also use feast figuratively to mean a delight, as when you say, "Your garden is a feast for the eyes, Grandma." The Latin root, festa, means "holidays or feasts," from festus, "festive, joyful, or merry."
Vocabulary lists containing feast
Eat Your Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Joyous Kwanzaa! Vocabulary Worth Celebrating
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"Encounter"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
A new Australian study suggests that zoo lions behave more like their wild counterparts when they are given whole animal carcasses as part of a feast and fast feeding schedule.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Manchester United constantly seem to flip between feast and famine, when often they've simply been fine.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
You could have customers showing up ordering a feast of fillet steaks because they got an inside tip on your generosity.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Television cameras outside the courtroom feast on the sea of women clad in bright pink T-shirts emblazoned with slogans like “She Needed Help” or “Stand in Peace for Lindsay.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Bertha always made a big deal out of Sunday dinner, but with the Odoms coming it was a regular feast.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
The Muslim community is currently preparing for one of its holiest seasons and its biggest feasts.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, families traditionally gather over joyous feasts to break the daytime fast.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
The bigger cities like New York and Philadelphia boasted theaters, but for most American families across the 13 newly independent states, public entertainment options generally were limited to dances, feasts and local traveling fairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
“The Black Spot,” which Fuchs and Kane co-wrote, displays the fruit of Derry’s bigotry in all its nastiness, a harvest so ripe and bountiful that Pennywise feasts to satiety.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025
Ravens soared through a grey sky on wide black wings, while carrion crows rose from their feasts in furious clouds wherever he set his steps.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
We feasted on smoked pork belly, which was fatty and fork-tender, smoked brisket, baked beans, and, of course, candied sweet potato with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
The two feasted on chicken fried steak, eggs with corn beef hash, and biscuits and gravy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
More than 90 people have been charged with setting up sham businesses and nonprofits in Minnesota that feasted on Medicaid, food, housing and other welfare programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026
Australia resumed at 271-4 with Head on 142 and Carey not out 52 and they again feasted early on some mediocre bowling.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
She closed her eyes and saw One Horn feasted, honored, and decorated with her grandmother’s finest beadwork.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
"Wild lions don't eat at the same time every day. They experience natural periods of feasting and fasting depending on hunting success," Hryhorenko said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The game meat is expected to be served as part of the traditional feasting associated with the Independence Day celebrations.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
He warned that slaughtering elephants for celebratory feasting could encourage poaching by creating the impression that killing elephants is acceptable when sanctioned by government.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
When nutrient levels are high, feasting algae can quickly reproduce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Less than a month ago, Valerian was bragging about campers he and his friends had tricked into feasting with them, gorging on rotten leaves enchanted to look like delicacies.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
