festival
Americannoun
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a day or time of religious or other celebration, marked by feasting, ceremonies, or other observances.
the festival of Christmas; a Roman festival.
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a periodic commemoration, anniversary, or celebration.
an annual strawberry festival.
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a period or program of festive activities, cultural events, or entertainment.
a music festival.
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gaiety; revelry; merrymaking.
adjective
noun
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a day or period set aside for celebration or feasting, esp one of religious significance
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any occasion for celebration, esp one which commemorates an anniversary or other significant event
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an organized series of special events and performances, usually in one place
a festival of drama
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archaic a time of revelry; merrymaking
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(modifier) relating to or characteristic of a festival
Other Word Forms
- prefestival noun
Etymology
Origin of festival
1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin fēstivālis ( diēs ) holy (day). See festive, -al 1
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.
Scores of artists have reportedly torn up their invitations, several board members -- including the festival chair -- have quit, and the blocked author's lawyers have demanded an explanation.
From Barron's
They say they can no longer tolerate catering Jewish community fundraisers and “events such as the Great Nosh,” the city-wide Jewish food festival.
The band toured extensively and exhaustively, and rarely declined an invitation in the late 1960s and early ’70s to play at small and large outdoor festivals when many of them were proudly free.
The two leaders will attend a traditional kite festival and visit the Sabarmati Ashram, the spiritual retreat where Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence struggle, lived for many years.
From Barron's
We’ve been to a number of festivals and we have an exchange with the audience.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
