fete 1 of 2

noun

ˈfāt How to pronounce fete (audio)
variants or fête
Definition of fetenext
1
as in event
a social gathering the heiress wanted to do something with her life other than shuttle from fete to fete

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in celebration
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something the island's annual fete is a celebration of the daffodil in all of its springtime beauty

Synonyms & Similar Words

fete

2 of 2

verb

variants or fête
as in to honor
to show appreciation, respect, or affection for (someone) with a public celebration the returning servicemen and servicewomen were feted with a week's worth of celebrations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fete
Noun
One of the biggest pre-carnival fetes on the island, Caribbean Melting Pot at the Carnival Village, features superstar soca acts like Machel Montano and Skinny Fabulous yet still charges under USD $40 a ticket. — Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 New on the docket is the first Frédéric Panaïotis La Paulée, a fête inspired by the traditional Burgundian harvest feast. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
She has previously been feted with the Berlinale Camera, the Prix du cinéma Suisse, the French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 His final words drowned in a din of shouts and sparkling spray, as the Astros feted an aspiration fulfilled. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fete
  1. event
  2. celebration
  3. honor
  4. party
  5. festival
  6. bash
  7. festivity
  8. reception
Noun
  • Forty years later, adult Calvin (Josh Hartnett) is still haunted by the event.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Each of the six main suspects get their chance to give their version of events on the day of Jodie’s death, effectively supplying their own alibis.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of event
Noun
  • The festival arrives as Kansas City’s culinary landscape continues expanding, with Asian restaurants, cultural celebrations and food entrepreneurs gaining greater visibility throughout the region.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But when Gordon scored his touchdown against the Vikings, Wright was in the middle of the group celebration.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebration
Verb
  • Ho, who co-founded 852 Films, picked up the Fantastic Icon Award at BIFAN’s 30th edition, honoring her body of work in genre film.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The discovery led to a complete redesign of the project, shifting the hotel inland to preserve the sacred site and honor the ancestors who remain there.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of honor
Noun
  • Nightly specials include fresh takes on Maine classics, like a Cajun lobster roll on a brioche (fantastic), but there’s also an extensive menu of starters, salads, sandwiches and burgers, and mains that will keep every member of your party happy.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The party has an average 8-point lead in generic congressional ballot polling, according to RealClearPolitics.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of party
Noun
  • For 70 years, the festival has brought really the best of the year in cinema to audiences.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Couples who match through the program are offered vouchers for subsequent dates, access to follow-up activities tied to festivals around Seoul, as well as an online and offline community where participants can stay connected.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of festival
Noun
  • More recently, over the summer, FunDimension was World Cup watch party central, hosting bashes for various matches with soccer stars including Paul Pogba in attendance.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But for a few hours every year, the VMA bash is when MTV decides to cosplay as MTV for a night—and the Nineties glow of this year’s model made that clearer than ever.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of bash
Noun
  • Thanks to off-season discounts, fall is a notoriously excellent time to prep your patio or backyard for next year’s outdoor festivities.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Kim and his cast joined the festivities, with the film starring host Kim Min-ha alongside Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Chang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Hee-jun, Jeon So-young and Kim Dong-hwi.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of festivity
Noun
  • One&Only followed this with its villas winding up from the jetty to the central building at the peak, which houses the reception, boutique, and five distinctive dining options.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Nico Collins had 7 receptions for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns in his return after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of reception

Browse Nearby Words

fetch up
fete
feted
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Fete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fete. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All