tête-à-tête

American  

[teyt-uh-teyt, tet-uh-tet, te-ta-tet] / ˈteɪt əˈteɪt, ˈtɛt əˈtɛt, tɛ taˈtɛt /

noun

• tête-à-têtes,
  plural
• tête-à-tête
  plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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adverb

1. intimately; in private

tête-à-tête Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tête-à-tête
  plural
• tête-à-têtes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tête-à-tête

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

Explanation

A tete-a-tete might be a casual chat, but it's more likely to be a formal conversation or meeting between only two people. If your boss requests a tete-a-tete with you, she means that she wants to have a meeting, just the two of you. Maybe you'll get a raise at the tete-a-tete — or maybe you're in trouble. You could schedule a tete-a-tete with your college adviser or plan to sit down with your roommate and have a tete-a-tete about the dirty dishes in the sink. The leaders of warring countries might also try to settle disputes through a tete-a-tete. In French, tête-à-tête literally means "head to head."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tête-à-tête tête-à-têtes

It is nothing short of a revelation, one in which we are invited to eavesdrop on a decadeslong tête-à-tête between the two masters as they discover, reinvent and refine their forms and materials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

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.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2024

“Freud’s Last Session” comes from the stage and, like “The Two Popes,” centers on the tête-à-tête of intellectual opposites.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

So few of the specifics of their tête-à-tête with Altman have become public that it’s hard to assess who’s right.

From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023

Yet time and her aunt moved slowly—and her patience and her ideas were nearly worn out before the tête-à-tête was over.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

And it was during one of those tête-à-têtes that Infantino suggested the idea of a first annual Peace Prize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

In her company, Julian sheds most of his ego, engaging in intellectual tête-à-têtes about his past works and whether a forgery can ever really capture an artist’s intention and energy.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026

The book is full of bittersweet drawings of Marji’s tête-à-têtes with God, who resembles Marx, ‘though Marx’s hair was a bit curlier.’

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

The puppeteers achieve striking emotional effects, especially with their ape’s eyes, during several tender tête-à-têtes between Kong and Pitts’ Darrow, who in this version comes to see something of herself in the chained beast.

From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2018

In their tête-à-têtes Esther shows continuing interest for charitable matters.

From Oswald Langdon or, Pierre and Paul Lanier. A Romance of 1894-1898 by Carson Jay Lee

Related Words

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