banquet

1 of 2

noun

ban·​quet ˈbaŋ-kwət How to pronounce banquet (audio)
ˈban-,
 also  -ˌkwet
1
: a sumptuous feast
especially : an elaborate and often ceremonious meal for numerous people often in honor of a person
a state banquet
2
: a meal held in recognition of some occasion or achievement
an awards banquet

banquet

2 of 2

verb

banqueted; banqueting; banquets

intransitive verb

: to partake of a banquet
The night before, after a typical 12-hour workday, the president banqueted until nearly midnight …Spike Mafford

transitive verb

: to treat with a banquet : feast
They will be banqueting visiting dignitaries.
banqueter noun

Examples of banquet in a Sentence

Noun They held a banquet in his honor. prepared a celebratory banquet for the graduating class Verb banqueted the returning troops at the military base
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
When the Oscars debuted in 1929, the banquet hall was so small that only movie stars who had a chance of winning were in attendance, says Schulman. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The group that won Carnival that year came and did their competition performance for us in our hotel banquet hall! Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The club had a large room downstairs with a dance floor and bar, plus two banquet and meeting rooms with capacity for 300 people. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024 The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 p.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott City Center Hotel. Jon Becker, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 Perhaps Wessel’s signature accomplishment was starting The Sports Society in the ’70s, which stages an annual banquet, honoring South Florida female athletes and giving scholarships and monetary awards to top scholar-athletes. Bill Van Smith, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The list goes on, and there would usually be around 10 people invited over for this banquet. Julie Lin, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024 Also, demonstrations, sale of wood and gourd art objects, raffles, auctions and banquet. Michelle Jenkins, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Plans call for the top floor to become a banquet and event venue for weddings, quinceaneras and other gatherings, overlooking Payne Avenue, with community classrooms and offices for LEDC and other nonprofits or local service providers in the back. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2024
Verb
These men seem to devote most of their time to cultivating relationships with government officials and gang bosses in teahouses, karaoke parlors, and banqueting clubs. John Osburg, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2014 But in many Western capitals the optics of the visit will look very different – two autocrats who have long described themselves as firm friends shaking hands and banqueting while a conflagration in Europe rages. Nectar Gan, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 As photos on the academy website show, this was the last of the banqueting Oscars. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023 However, the annual mushers banquet in Anchorage won’t happen as usual on the Thursday before the race. Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Jan. 2021 Our state government agency generally has an annual awards banquet off-site in December. Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2020 Roy and others who work for the chamber and Visit Sitka were at Centennial Hall Sunday cleaning up from the chamber awards banquet the night before, and were stunned when the messages started coming in. Anchorage Daily News, 4 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banquet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French, from Old Italian banchetto, from diminutive of banca bench, bank

Verb

borrowed from Middle French banqueter, derivative of banquet banquet entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of banquet was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near banquet

Cite this Entry

“Banquet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banquet. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

banquet

1 of 2 noun
ban·​quet ˈbaŋ-kwət How to pronounce banquet (audio)
ˈban-,
 also  -ˌkwet
: a formal dinner for many people often in honor of someone

banquet

2 of 2 verb
: to treat or be treated with a banquet : feast
banqueter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on banquet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!