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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

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

To fete the supersized 250th anniversary, a committee of local burghers has been meeting every few weeks for four years, preparing for as many as 100,000 people to show up this weekend.

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2025

As she came walking in, looking very tired but as composed as ever, she observed that every vestige of the unfortunate fete had disappeared, except a suspicious pucker about the corners of Jo’s mouth.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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

Earlier this week, Klum told USA Today that her yearly fête was a result of having few “really cool” Halloween party options in New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2024

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

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

It enables the community to use the field for events like fetes and weddings, while still encouraging wildlife diversity, Taylor said.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 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

Modi was also feted by an estimated 10,000 or more supporters from among the country's 300,000-strong Indian diaspora gathering at a community event in Auckland's Spark Arena.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

That could have been Trout’s spot this summer: a worthy honor for a three-time most valuable player, a local hero feted on the national stage the Angels have failed to provide him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 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

Wait: There are millions of people on the lower Manhattan streets, confetti fluttering in the air, a team being feted on stage at City Hall…and it isn’t the Yankees?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

The philosophers in the audience were scandalized by this claim; Galileo was naturally thrilled to have been vindicated and feted.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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

The occasion was the official feting of Bradley Beal signing a five-year, $251 million max contract that cements him as the Wizards’ cornerstone through at least age 32.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022

And off he went, opening the great doors, feting the musicians, soaking them with champagne, drunk himself without drinking a drop, solely with the music which brought him back to life.

From Tartarin On The Alps by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott