fee
Americannoun
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fees
plural
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a charge or payment for professional services.
a doctor's fee.
- Synonyms:
- honorarium, emolument, salary, stipend
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a sum paid or charged for a privilege.
an admission fee.
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a charge allowed by law for the service of a public officer.
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Law.
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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.
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an inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.
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a territory held in fee.
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a gratuity; tip.
verb (used with object)
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to give a fee to.
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Chiefly Scot. to hire; employ.
noun
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a payment asked by professional people or public servants for their services
a doctor's fee
school fees
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a charge made for a privilege
an entrance fee
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property law
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an interest in land capable of being inherited See fee simple fee tail
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the land held in fee
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(in feudal Europe) the land granted by a lord to his vassal
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an obsolete word for a gratuity
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law (of land) in absolute ownership
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archaic in complete subjection
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verb
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rare to give a fee to
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to hire for a fee
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing fee
Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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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:
Insurance is a big factor behind the HOA fee increases for condo owners.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The bigger the logjam gets, the harder it will be to raise new funds, reducing the fee income private-equity firms rely on, a cycle that can spiral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He didn’t render aid or call 911 but called Uber to seek a cleaning fee, according to the law firm’s release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Sources suggested the Premier League club had agreed a fee with with Vasco for the 29-year-old, but personal terms were not agreed before the Brazilian transfer window closed on Friday.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Fortunately, there are people who will pick you up in Atlanta and take you to Amicalola for a fee.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
In their latest incarnations, exchange-traded funds often offer exposure to narrow, risky assets, high tax bills and bloated fees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
And condo fees are poised to go up even more.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
In 2024, the NBA struck media partnerships worth $77 billion over 11 years that more than doubled fees shared by teams in the league.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He pays about $400 a month in HOA fees and plans to move next year, but is aware that selling will be a pain.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
He wrote that he had been kicked out of school because he didn't have enough money to pay the fees.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
"People started to try and feed off Daniel," says Roberts.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
This is the first book I’ve ever read that sounds just like a social media feed, with the author recommending product after product, and then stipulating whether or not he is affiliated with them.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
Its anatomy does provide some hints about how it may live and feed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The helicopter had been hovering a few blocks away from the crash, providing a live feed for television news, when it appeared to suddenly lose power and crash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Some people actually told me that meat was bad for them and to only feed them dry dog food.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
“There is an increased excitement — the feeing is palpable,” said Legend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024
The Glaswegian finished 34th, a result that left her "embarrassed" and feeing as is "she had made a show of herself" according to younger sister Sarah.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024
Shelters for Ukrainians feeing the Russian invasion, who do not need to apply for asylum in the Netherlands, are also nearly full, he said.
From Reuters ● Aug. 18, 2022
“It was a helpless feeing sitting there on the sideline not being able to do anything about your position,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2021
“Will you report it? I’m not feeing well.”
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
