plural fezzes also fezes
: a brimless cylindrical or somewhat cone-shaped hat with a flat top that usually has a tassel, is typically made of red felt, and is worn especially by men in eastern Mediterranean countries
fezzed adjective

Illustration of fez

Illustration of fez

Examples of fez in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dart turned up wearing a banya hat—like a pointy fez that keeps your brain from boiling. Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023 His imagery can occasionally seem reductive: pretzels and beers in Munich; magic carpets, aliens wearing fezzes, and a genie in a bottle in Rabat. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 What remained were quirky relics, like a black-and-white photograph of my dad as a little boy, wearing a fez after his circumcision ceremony. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 The Shriners would become known for their philanthropy — funding children’s hospitals — but they would also be known for their zanier side: donning fezzes and zipping around in tiny cars. John Kelly, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2023 Bertie has been invited to many children’s tea parties and sleepovers and has endured wearing a dress, a fez and being a unicorn. Urmee Khan, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 The director’s project was inspired by his father, an electrician who used to repair movie houses in the south, and his grandfather, who was a sailor and hakawati – a storyteller who sported a red fez while recounting folkloric tales in Tyre’s old cafes. Aj Naddaff, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2022 For Christmas, the family went to Morocco, where Xavier learned why some people wear a fez or hijab. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2023 This will be Eddie's torture chamber and the source of his liberation, overseen by a cryptic doctor (Noel Bowers, sporting a nifty fez) and a pair of temptresses, the blonde Estelle (Karina Pal Montaño Bowers) and the brunette Marie (Jenna Morris). Chris Vognar, Chron, 12 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fez.' 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

French, from Fez, Morocco

First Known Use

circa 1803, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fez was circa 1803

Dictionary Entries Near fez

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

fez

noun
plural fezzes
: a round red felt hat that has a flat top and a tassel but no brim

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