fete
noun
a day of celebration; holiday.
fete
American
[fayt, fet]
/ feɪt, fɛt /
French
fête
noun
-
fetes
plural
-
a day of celebration; holiday.
The Fourth of July is a great American fete.
-
a festive celebration or entertainment.
The ball was the greatest fete of the season.
-
a religious feast or festival.
a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint.
verb (used with object)
feted,
feting
-
to entertain at or honor with a fete.
to fete a visiting celebrity.
-
to celebrate, laud, or acclaim.
He was feted in the press and honored by fellow citizens.
fête
British
/ feɪt /
noun
-
a gala, bazaar, or similar entertainment, esp one held outdoors in aid of charity
-
a feast day or holiday, esp one of religious significance
-
informal an organized group entertainment, esp a party or a dance
verb
-
(tr) to honour or entertain with or as if with a fête
the author was fêted by his publishers
-
informal (intr) to join in a fête
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fete
First recorded in 1745–55; from French fête “holiday, festival,” from Old French feste “feast”; see origin at feast
Explanation
A fête is a party, often one thrown in someone's honor. You'll find fête used as both a verb and a noun. If you want to fête someone, throw them a fête. Fête is a word taken directly from French. In fact, sometimes in English you'll see a circumflex accent over the first "e" in fête. This makes it especially easy to remember, because this accent looks almost like a party hat.
Vocabulary lists containing fete
Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Mardi Gras: Fun
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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:
This year’s special America 250 fete brings together more than 1,000 global performers who will treat audiences to pipe-and-drum acts, drill teams, military bands, choirs, motorcycle stunt shows and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
He returned home a hero, with his picture on the cover of Life magazine, a White House fete and unexpected celebrity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
While many trek in from across the country or from the diaspora in Europe and the United States, some hotel owners also report growing numbers of foreign tourists as the annual fete grows.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
"Dancing at the tip of the boat is not easy," Indonesia's minister of culture Fadli Zon told reporters at an event meant to fete Dikha on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025
Her noble husband had opened the Great Pyramid to fete them.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
There are groups of friends, families and even dogs - it's like a big summer fête, with rainbows and glitter.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Charles, whose birthday was Nov. 14 and has had a number of recent health problems, wasn’t actually in attendance at Thursday’s fête.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
It’s like they are frozen in time, enjoying a giant and timeless party somewhere: On a balcony admiring ballroom dancers, or guests at a grandiose fête thrown by the Great Gatsby himself.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey held a pre-Sunday fête this year with "owl themed games and crafts, an owl presentation with live owl ambassadors, and a moonlit walk."
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2023
I see the stars, I see the rockets, and for a moment have the impression that I have fallen asleep at a garden fête.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
As an MP, Donaldson was a regular fixture at events in his constituency of Lagan Valley - from school fetes to church services, charity fundraisers to public meetings, he was there.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Wild and kitschy shows followed with opening fetes dedicated to colorful subjects including Andy Warhol, circus clowns, and Canadian television creators and puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
Biden and Kishida on Wednesday will hold talks and take part in a joint news conference before Biden fetes the Japanese leader with the state dinner in the East Room.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
A philosopher, writer, television personality and filmmaker, Lévy is a quintessentially French invention in a country that fetes its public intellectuals like pop stars.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
It’s impossible to imagine her as a typical Illustrian girl, angling for a good match, attending fetes and allowing herself to be seduced by fittingly highborn men.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Despite his national hero status, Aung San is feted mostly by ethnic majority Bamar elites, rather than the ethnic minority groups who have fought against central rule for decades, researcher Morgan Michaels said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
It's named after the feted New York club where Madonna got an early break by persuading DJ Mark Kamins to play her debut single, Everybody.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
During his first term, China feted him like a favorite prince with various ceremonies: a private tour of the Forbidden City, followed by a performance by the Peking Opera and a huge state dinner.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
Zach Witkoff also met Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in April of last year, during a visit where he was feted like a visiting dignitary, with a fireworks display in his honor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
They were feted by premiers and emirs and entertained at embassies and consulates as they made their way back west to Palermo, Sicily, where they boarded another tanker for the homeward passage.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
And Monday, while speakers were feting him with their deepest thanks for hour after hour, they were also delaying his speaking window until after prime time on the East Coast.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024
The administration’s feting of Modi stretched into Friday at the State Department, where Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hosted a luncheon in the Indian leader’s honor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2023
Beijing would prefer a Nationalist leader in Taipei, and over recent days has been hosting, and feting, Ma Ying-jeou, the previous Nationalist president.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2023
When and if Venus decides to announce her retirement, she will receive a full-throated feting of her career, as Serena is getting now.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2022
We're often in waiting At junket or feting, And sometimes attend an interment— DUKE.
From The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan by Sir W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert
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.
