fete

F4E1T1E1
/feɪt//fɛt/

noun

A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

Less commonScrabble 7

Meanings

nounfete (plural fetes)

plural fetes · alternative fête

  1. A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

    The final fete of the year was held at the Plymouth Hoe on 20 July, where fine weather and crowds of people ensured much support for local charities and boosted club finds.

    1991, Treasure Hunting, Treasure Hunting Publications
    1 more example

    She was joined at the New York City fete by fellow Trump throne-sniffer Lee Zeldin, the Long Island congressman who, like Boebert and Staten Island Representative Nicole Malliotakis, were among the cohort of coup supporters who did not vote to certify the 2020 election results—and are now fundraising off a presumptive “Trump’s Majority” in advance of next year’s midterms.

    2021 September 24, Tom Gogola, “Republican Representative Lauren Boebert Goes Full Blunderbuss”, in The Nation, archived from the original on 01 Jun 2022, retrieved 01 Jun 2022
verbfete (third-person singular simple present fetes, present participle feting, simple past and past participle feted)

present singular third person fetes · participle present feting · participle past feted · past feted · alternative fête

  1. passivetransitiveusuallyTo celebrate (a person or event).

    Danielle Salamon was also four when she was feted as a musical genius in 1953.

    1992, Today, News Group Newspapers Ltd
    3 more examples

    Saxophonist Pete Wareham, his friend and collaborator in Polar Bear and the critically feted groups Acoustic Ladyland and Fulborn Teversham, soon punctures that idea.

    2007 April 6, Mike Barnes, “Is this the hardest-working man in music?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Mar 2023

    In another LRB review, he had written after reading Martin Amis’s latest, elsewhere feted as a glorious return to form: “I read The Zone of Interest straight through twice from beginning to end and it feels like I’ve read nothing at all.”

    2016 April 9, Philip Oltermann, quoting Michael Hofmann, “Michael Hofmann: ‘English is basically a trap. It’s almost a language for spies’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2023

    For three days Emmanuel Macron was wooed and fêted by Donald Trump, treated to marching bands and banquets.

    2018 April 27, William Cook, “Are Macron and Merkel playing good cop, bad cop with Trump?”, in The Spectator

    Synonyms: celebrate

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo celebrate (a person or event).

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounan elaborate party (often outdoors)

Broader

nounan organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place)

Similar

verbhave a celebration

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchfêter
  2. Frenchfête
  3. Englishfete

* The noun derives from French fête. Doublet of feast, fiesta, and fest. * The verb derives from French fêter.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech (dobročinná) slavnost, oslavovat
  • (dobročinná) slavnostA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
  • oslavovatto celebrate or make much of a person
Dutch fêteren, vieren
  • fêterento celebrate or make much of a person
  • vierento celebrate or make much of a person
French kermesse, fêter
  • kermesseA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
  • fêterto celebrate or make much of a person
German feiern, ehren
  • feiernto celebrate or make much of a person
  • ehrento celebrate or make much of a person
  • verehrento celebrate or make much of a person
Māori whakamiramira
  • whakamiramirato celebrate or make much of a person
Polish festyn, kiermasz
  • festynA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
  • kiermaszA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
  • fetowaćto celebrate or make much of a person
  • honorowaćto celebrate or make much of a person
Portuguese quermesse
  • quermesseA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
Russian чествовать
  • чествовать (čestvovatʹ)to celebrate or make much of a person
Spanish feria, fiesta
  • feriaA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
  • fiestaA festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with fete

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

fete. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fete

MLA

“fete.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fete. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fete,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fete.

Source: fete on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.