fiancé
Americannoun
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.
The jewelry designer on Sunday announced the arrival of her “perfect baby girl” in a sweet Father’s Day Instagram post celebrating fiancé and music executive Geoff Ogunlesi.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
While the audience freaked out with joy, she brought her fiancé, 26-year-old right-wing writer Vance Voetberg, on stage.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
After the wedding, Kayley was supposed to go to Turkey on her honeymoon, and stay in a flat owned by a relative of her former fiancé.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
In “Our Perfect Storm,” childhood best friends Frankie and George go on a platonic honeymoon after Frankie’s fiancé dumps her at the start of their wedding weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
I had a new job, a fiancé, and an expanded family—an approving Kenyan granny, even.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
