tête-à-tête

[ tet-uh-tet, teyt-uh-teyt; French te-ta-tet ]
See synonyms for tête-à-tête on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural tête-à-têtes, French tête-à-tête.
  1. a private conversation or interview, usually between two people.

  2. Also called vis-à-vis. a sofa shaped like an S so two people are able to converse face to face.

adjective
  1. of, between, or for two persons together without others.

adverb
  1. (of two persons) together in private: to sit tête-à-tête.

Origin of tête-à-tête

1
First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: literally, “head to head”

Words Nearby tête-à-tête

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tête-à-tête in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tête-à-tête

tête-à-tête

/ (ˌteɪtəˈteɪt) /


nounplural -têtes or -tête
    • a private conversation between two people

    • (as modifier): a tête-à-tête conversation

  1. a small sofa for two people, esp one that is S-shaped in plan so that the sitters are almost face to face

adverb
  1. intimately; in private

Origin of tête-à-tête

1
C17: from French, literally: head to head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for tête-à-tête

tête-à-tête

[ (tayt-uh-tayt) ]


An intimate meeting or conversation between two individuals. From French, meaning “head to head.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.