tête-à-tête

[teyt-uh-teyt, tet-uh-tet, te-ta-tet]

noun

plural

tête-à-têtes ,

plural

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.

tête-à-tête

/ ˌteɪtəˈteɪt /

noun

1. 1. a private conversation between two people

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tête-à-tête conversation

2. 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

tête-à-tête

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tête-à-tête¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tête-à-tête¹

C17: from French, literally: head to head

Example Sentences

Whether it was a tête-à-tête with Lumon boss Mr. Drummond, where Mr. Milchick is told to shorten his words before choosing to do the opposite — the phrase “devour feculence” seethes with quiet rage — or leading a drumline in the dramatic season finale, Tillman stole many scenes.

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When she revisited that high-octane scene on set with a more willing scene partner in Pelphrey, Jones said going tête-à-tête with him was a riveting experience: “I forgot that there were cameras rolling.”

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For a few hours on Sunday, the United States and Colombia engaged in a full-blown economic tête-à-tête.

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What follows is a tête-à-tête for the ages that skillfully keeps the viewer on their toes as often as Romy is on her knees.

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The "Call Her Daddy" conversation was not the contentious tête-à-tête the chattering class has come to expect after decades of cable news bloviating somehow came to represent meaningful political coverage.

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