fiancé
Americannoun
-
fiancés
plural
noun
Gender
See fiancée.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fiancé
First recorded in 1850–55; from French: “betrothed,” past participle of fiancer, Old French fiancier, verbal derivative of fiance “a promise,” equivalent to fi(er) “to trust” (from unattested Vulgar Latin fīdāre, Latin fīdere ) + -ance noun suffix; see -ance, -ee
Explanation
The minute you get down on one knee and ask a man to marry you — assuming he says "yes" — he becomes your fiancé, or the man you are engaged to marry. Fiancé comes from French; in fact, it is so French that it even has masculine and feminine versions (like many nouns in French). If you're talking about a woman, you would call her a fiancée rather than a fiancé, which is used only to refer to men. The Latin root of fiancé, which is spelled the same way, means "a promise," so you can think of becoming someone's fiance as a promise you're making to go through with the marriage.
Vocabulary lists containing fiance
English Words Derived from French, List 8
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Illegal
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Endangered
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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:
McHale’s actual wedding was earlier this month in Newport, Rhode Island—the same week my fiancé and I were there trying to escape our own wedding-planning stresses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In addition to getting engaged to her fiancé and fellow comedian Chad Daniels, she’s now celebrating the release of her third special — her first on Netflix — aptly titled “Happy Hour.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
According to Puck News’ Leigh Ann Caldwell, who cited “a reputable Democratic source,” the congresswoman and her fiancé Riley Roberts called off their engagement “about 18 months ago.”
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
I’m 27 years old, originally from South Carolina, and currently splitting the rent on an overpriced apartment in New York City with my fiancé.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Eliza is still looking back to her fiancé in the car.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Fathers, husbands, brothers, fiancés and others separate daily from wives and children, mothers, sisters and girlfriends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2022
"All of my boyfriends, husbands and fiancés have been my best friends, so it’s a terrible gap they leave," she explained.
From Fox News ● Mar. 5, 2022
“Without the park, people would be effectively separated from their spouses, fiancés and partners.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2021
There are enough holiday movies about single people bringing fake fiancés home for Christmas that it’s become a genre unto itself.
From Slate ● Nov. 19, 2020
And it sounds like they’re talking about their fiancés, but they’re talking about a frothy mixture of tulle and lace?
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
