fee

American  

[fee] / fi /

noun

1. a charge or payment for professional services.

   a doctor's fee.

   Synonyms:

   honorarium, emolument, salary, stipend

2. a sum paid or charged for a privilege.

   an admission fee.

3. a charge allowed by law for the service of a public officer.

4. Law.

   1. an estate of inheritance in land, either absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs fee simple or limited to a particular class of heirs fee tail.

   2. an inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.

   3. a territory held in fee.

5. a gratuity; tip.

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verb (used with object)

feed, feeing

1. to give a fee to.

2. Chiefly Scot. to hire; employ.

fee British  

/ fiː /

noun

1. a payment asked by professional people or public servants for their services

   a doctor's fee

   school fees

2. a charge made for a privilege

   an entrance fee

3. property law

   1. an interest in land capable of being inherited See fee simple fee tail

   2. the land held in fee

4. (in feudal Europe) the land granted by a lord to his vassal

5. an obsolete word for a gratuity

6. 1. law (of land) in absolute ownership

   2. archaic in complete subjection

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verb

1. rare to give a fee to

2. to hire for a fee

Other Word Forms

• feeless
  adjective
• overfee
  noun
• superfee
  noun

Etymology

Origin of fee

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French fie, variant of fief fief. See feudal

Explanation

A fee is the cost of something, or the amount of money charged. You might need to pay a fee when you visit your favorite state park. Clubs, national parks, and gyms all charge a fee to belong or to enter. There is also the fee that a professional charges for services, like the legal fee you pay when you hire an attorney or the fee you pay your dentist to clean your teeth. Fee has an Old French origin in the word fieu, "possession, holding, domain, or payment," from the Medieval Latin feodum, "land whose use is granted in return for service."

Example Sentences

Park has emphasized her advocacy for fire recovery efforts, including pushing for permit fee waivers for residents wanting to rebuild.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

By investing directly, families also avoid the high fees charged by private-equity firms, typically a 2% annual management fee on assets and 20% of profits above an agreed-upon threshold.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

The deal includes a $4.8 billion termination fee that NextEra would pay if regulators block the deal.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

That fixed fee has evolved into a system designed to give both buyers and sellers greater control over how much they are required to pay agents.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

He was once given a large fee to raise one from the dead, and he did so.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• account
• bill
• commission
• compensation
• cost
• cut
• expense
• pay
• payment
• price
• reward
• salary
• share
• stipend
• wage