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• fete
  fete

  noun

  a day of celebration; holiday.
• fête
  fête

  noun

  a gala, bazaar, or similar entertainment, esp one held outdoors in aid of charity

fete

American  

[feyt, fet] / feɪt, fɛt /

French fête

noun

• fetes
  plural

1. a day of celebration; holiday.

   The Fourth of July is a great American fete.

2. a festive celebration or entertainment.

   The ball was the greatest fete of the season.

3. a religious feast or festival.

   a fete lasting several days in honor of a saint.

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verb (used with object)

feted, feting

1. to entertain at or honor with a fete.

   to fete a visiting celebrity.

2. to celebrate, laud, or acclaim.

   He was feted in the press and honored by fellow citizens.

fête British  

/ feɪt /

noun

1. a gala, bazaar, or similar entertainment, esp one held outdoors in aid of charity

2. a feast day or holiday, esp one of religious significance

3. informal an organized group entertainment, esp a party or a dance

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verb

1. (tr) to honour or entertain with or as if with a fête

   the author was fêted by his publishers

2. informal (intr) to join in a fête

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fetes
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fete fête fetes feted feting

Menin’s outcry helped thrust into the public eye the private effort to get the Met to revise its plans to fete Galliano at a time when antisemitism is rising globally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

A resident of Oxnard, Channtal Shrauger also made a bit of a drive to fete the closing restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 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

Thirty thousand local residents turned out on a blustery day in mid-March to fete the men they had adopted as hometown heroes.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

But ever since a pair of Italian ski legends lit the cauldron in Milan, just 18 months after the summer fête of Paris, the decline of the Games has felt like a distant memory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

With the scale of a fête like this, the task of planning and shielding the affair from public glare could prove as difficult as winning another Grammy or Super Bowl trophy.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 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

A combination of prosecco and red wine will join hands for your festive fête.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2021

But of course there’s still a grande fête at the quarterback’s lake house.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

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

The idea he would savour being a humble backbencher asking questions about cash for the local hospital or appearing at school fetes was for the birds.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2023

Most FYC fetes, though, have continued as scheduled, even with holes on the Q&A panels.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2023

“Sunset Blvd.” — the title is officially abbreviated though it is often written out as Boulevard — includes one of the most horrifying New Year’s Eve fetes committed to film.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022

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

Afterwards, some 200 Labour MPs feted Burnham during a group photo in Westminster, in a clear sign that they expect him to take over.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 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

President Trump feted the biggest holders of his namesake memecoin on Saturday, cheering on a crypto market still fighting through a monthslong slump.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 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

But back in March, the hometown indie-rapper-turned-crossover-pop-star unleashed his third solo album, “BEN,” feting the characteristically rangy new music with a surprise Neumos show and record signing at Easy Street Records.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2023

For all of her feting of American delegations, Ms. Tsai, and the semiconductor industry she seeks to protect, face a precarious balancing act.

From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2022

Lord Chandos was always either being feted or feting others.

From A Mad Love by Charlotte M. Brame