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:
I head for another feast, another set of fires.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was a feast day and everyone was celebrating, but M's daughter stayed in her room crying.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
This year the Dodgers’ offense has been a case of feast or famine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
"This year's been a bit of a feast," Rob admits.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
But try as she might to care about the elaborate feast they had planned in her honor, she could not shake the desperate desire to be anywhere else.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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
Schwarzenegger called the Hahnenkamm "the best run with the best athletes", proceeding to list all his Austrian food favourites on which he feasts in Kitzbuehel.
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
Traffic was expected to have peaked Tuesday, with more than 52,000 flights set to ferry flyers to their feasts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025
November is another feast of feasts, with All Saints' on the first of the month and Armistice on the 11th offering relief from autumn blues.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025
He was always summoned for feasts, seated near the salt, close to Lord Stannis.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
With the always-excellent Paudie Clifford influential early on, Kerry feasted on Mayo nerves to register the game's three opening scores, with David Clifford striking twice after Dylan Casey fisted over the bar.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The press feasted on Duesberg’s self-portrayal as the victim of ostracism arising from professional jealousies — a target of cancel culture before that was a thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 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
Matt guessed he was the only one there who’d actually feasted on roast pheasant and suckling pig.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
They remain for a year, feasting and recovering, before Circe helps them prepare for the journey ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
I’m sure there’s a way to pooh-pooh Tuesday’s outburst by pointing out the expansion of the cup from 32 to 48 teams and arguing the competition is diluted and the stars are feasting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
He would see those lorikeets again later, now feasting on the “frilly white blooms” of a eucalyptus tree, their heads dusty with pollen, dizzily enjoying their nectar-rich world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Detractors said lions were increasingly feasting on livestock as their prey, such as deer, has declined, and some expressed concerns about the safety of pets and loved ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
The ceremony was soon over, and the feasting began.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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.
