1795–1805; < Turkish fes, after Fes Fez
A fez is a little round hat with a tassel on top. Fez is a French word that comes from the city of Fez in Morocco, where most of the hats were once made. A fez is always cylindrical and often red. Years ago, the fez was the official national hat of Turkey, and before that the Ottoman Empire. Turkey banned fezzes in the 1920s in an effort to become more modern. Today fezzes are typically worn by certain groups of Muslims and members of fraternal organizations such as the Shriners and the Elks.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The vendor Clive Greeenaway - who is a Cooper impersonator - said he was given the fez by the comedian's wife Gwen.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2025
We have photos of my male ancestors wearing the fez and the Ottoman military uniform, but women were rarely photographed.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2024
That history helps explain why Sabbatai’s successor, Jacob Frank, dressed in Turkish fashion throughout his life, wearing curved shoes and a tall fez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
The events of June 17 are a sharp departure from Mr. John’s public persona: Dressed in sharp suits and often wearing a red fez, Mr. John is a self-styled fashion mogul.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2021
“I’ll have to trade my fez for a European-style felt hat.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Jews had lived in Aleppo and Fez for over a thousand years; in Iraq and Egypt for more than two and a half thousand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"I pray to God for his safe return," she said, having travelled all the way from Fez, some 200 kilometres away.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Thanks to his breakout role as Fez on “That 70’s Show,” Valderrama was already well-known before joining “NCIS” and he’s noticed which role fans recognize him for has changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
In the same town, 19-year-old student Imane ait Said looked over the rubble of her house after returning from the city of Fez where she was studying.
From Reuters ● Sep. 13, 2023
A group of Jews who tried to sail south from the port of Cádiz to the kingdom of Fez died in a terrible fire.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
During the American Civil War, swashbuckling soldiers known as “Zouaves” wore Turkish-style fezes with flowing tassels.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2012
Then the Constituent Assembly with its new Turkish members in their fezes rather takes the eye as a novel synthesis of political interest in the Near East.
From Europe—Whither Bound? Being Letters of Travel from the Capitals of Europe in the Year 1921 by Stephen Graham
A few of the better-paid older men wore turbans of cheap white muslin, wrapped round brown felt skull-caps, or fezes.
From There was a King in Egypt by Norma Lorimer
They wore the fezes and kilts of the modern Greek.
From Buried Cities, Volume 3 Mycenae by Jennie Hall
All four were dressed in stiff Hungarian dolmans, long black pantaloons, and red fezes.
From The Lion of Janina The Last Days of the Janissaries by Mór Jókai
The Shriners would become known for their philanthropy — funding children’s hospitals — but they would also be known for their zanier side: donning fezzes and zipping around in tiny cars.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 25, 2023
He’s saved a few fancy outfits and fezzes that Guy used to wear during solo and band jobs at restaurants such as Haji Baba’s in Inglewood and Arabian Nights in Fresno.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2021
I suspected it was like the Shriners Club, to which my grandfather belonged, but with better fezzes.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2018
“I’m pretty sure slide whistles are going to take off,” he adds, sounding a bit like Doctor Who trying to convince Amy Pond that fezzes are cool.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 7, 2017
A little later, the hearse and limousines encountered a line of motorcycles and my mother noticed that the drivers were all wearing fezzes.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
