Catherine D. Bowen
Did you know?
Fete is a word worth celebrating. It's been around since Middle English, when it was used in a manuscript to refer to "fetes, spectacles and other worldly vanytees." Since the 19th century, fete has been doing double duty, also serving as a verb meaning "to honor or commemorate with a fete." You can honor fete by remembering that it entered English from Middle French, and that it derives ultimately from the Old French feste, meaning "festival"—a root that, not surprisingly, also gave English the word feast. Because of its French ties, you will sometimes see fete spelled with a circumflex above the first e (fête), as that's how it appears in that language.
Synonyms
Examples of fete in a Sentence
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Nov. 2023
Girls and boys in micro-miniskirts and bras for tops descended on the Malibu Pier for a beachside fete in celebration of the Italian fashion label’s 1-day only pop-up.
—Vogue, 27 July 2023
The story sounds derivative: A starstruck young woman becomes an extra in a film being shot at Cinecitta and is swept along with the movie’s Hollywood stars on a nightlong fete straight out of La Dolce Vita.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023
The two were photographed leaving Beyoncé and Jay-Z's annual fete at Chateau Marmont in the same car around 4 a.m. Earlier in the night, Jenner joined her celebrity friends at Vanity Fair's after-party.
—Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Mar. 2023
Hundreds of guests attended his birthday fete at the Park Avenue Armory, a structure built in the late nineteenth century for a national guard regiment assigned to protect the mansions of upper Manhattan from the envious hordes it was feared might come marauding from tenements farther east.
—Kim Phillips-Fein, The New York Review of Books, 28 Sep. 2023
For a fancy fete to remember, surprise your guests with special memorabilia, like this limited-edition coronation scarf created by Harrods.
—Sophie Dweck, townandcountrymag.com, 24 Apr. 2023
Film at Lincoln Center, which presents the annual fete, on Tuesday announced the 32 films that comprise the main slate of the 61st edition.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Aug. 2023
Other stars, including Julia Fox, Emma Watson, and Emma Corrin, were also in attendance at the Fashion Week fete.
—Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023
Rachel Marlowe, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2023
Last year’s event, for example, feted Margot Robbie, Ryan Coogler, Sarah Polley and Stephanie Hsu, who would go on to be nominated for an Oscar just months later.
—G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Nov. 2023
Royal Mansour Marrakech, Morocco This desert destination is perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to fete the holidays with a dip in their own private pool.
—Teresa Bergen, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2023
Armstrong was feted by Casey Bloys, HBO and Max chairman-CEO, while Deepak Chopra did the honors for Kapoor.
—William Earl, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Downey, 58, will be feted on Friday, Feb. 9, at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023
Having a plethora of artists singing his music and feting his work is light years away from Milsap’s difficult childhood.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
Kerry Condon, Jessie Buckley and Eve Hewson were feted last year.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Nov. 2023
Talks by honorees such as producer Jon Kilik, a longtime Spike Lee and Julian Schnabel collaborator, feted this year for work of special visual sensitivity, are also expected to sell out lecture halls.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near fete
Cite this Entry
“Fete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fete. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
fete
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on fete
Nglish: Translation of fete for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fete for Arabic Speakers
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