tête-à-tête

1 of 3

noun

ˌtet-ə-ˈtet How to pronounce tête-à-tête (audio)
ˌtāt-ə-ˈtāt,
 sense 2 is also  ˈtēt-ə-ˌtēt
1
: a private conversation between two persons
2
: a short piece of furniture (such as a sofa) intended to seat two persons especially facing each other

tête-à-tête

2 of 3

adverb

ˌtet-ə-ˈtet How to pronounce tête-à-tête (audio)
ˌtāt-ə-ˈtāt
: in private

tête-à-tête

3 of 3

adjective

ˌtet-ə-ˌtet How to pronounce tête-à-tête (audio)
ˌtāt-ə-ˌtāt

Examples of tête-à-tête in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But truly do not feel any pressure to have that tete-a-tete anytime soon. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 In his absence, reporters have gone through the motions of picking apart each tete-a-tete as part of a rapid-fire and never-ending news cycle, with the recognition that in the end, the primary would likely remain unchanged. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023 Most likely, sources say, the two will have a tete-a-tete on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 July 2023

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

French, literally, head to head

First Known Use

Noun

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1700, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1728, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tête-à-tête was in 1696

Dictionary Entries Near tête-à-tête

Cite this Entry

“Tête-à-tête.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tête-à-tête

1 of 3 noun
ˈtāt-ə-ˌtāt
: a private conversation between two persons

tête-à-tête

2 of 3 adverb
ˌtāt-ə-ˈtāt
: in private

tête-à-tête

3 of 3 adjective
ˌtāt-ə-ˌtāt
: being face-to-face : private
Etymology

Noun

French, literally "head-to-head"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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