fee

1 of 2

noun

ˈfē 

1

a(1)

: an estate in land held in feudal law from a lord on condition of homage and service

(2)

: a piece of land so held

b

: an inherited or heritable estate in land

2

a

: a fixed charge

b

: a sum paid or charged for a service

fee

2 of 2

verb

feed; feeing

transitive verb

1

chiefly Scotland : hire

2

: tip entry 9 sense 1

Phrases

in fee

: in absolute and legal possession

Synonyms

Noun

• ante
• charge
• cost
• damage
• figure
• freight
• price
• price tag

Verb

• assume
• employ
• engage
• hire
• lay on [chiefly British]
• pay
• place
• recruit
• retain
• sign (up or on)
• take on

Examples of fee in a Sentence

Noun

The admission fee is $10.

a credit card with no annual fee

The tuition fees went up this year.

We returned the library book late and had to pay a late fee.

His insurance covers the doctor's fee.

They paid a fortune in legal fees.

Verb

the townspeople fee country lasses as housemaids, nurses, and cooks

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

New members must pay a non-refundable initiation fee of approximately €20,000 (depending on their age), which is substantially less than an equity membership initiation fee. —Carrie Coolidge, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

This week’s regional games have $12 admission fees. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024

While many popular cruise destinations, such as Amsterdam, are adding fees to tackle overtourism, two-thirds of the revenue from the new tax will go to the Mexican army, not to improving port infrastructure. —Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024

The Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act prevents payment card networks, acquirers, processors and issuers from charging interchange fees on taxes or gratuities in electronic transactions. —Catrina Barker | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French fé, fief, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English feoh cattle, property, Old High German fihu cattle; akin to Latin pecus cattle, pecunia money

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fee

• contingency fee
• fee-for-service
• fee simple
• fee splitting
• fee tail
• greens fee
• slotting fee
• user fee

Kids Definition

fee

noun

ˈfē

1

: a set charge

admission fee

license fee

2

: a charge for a professional service

a doctor's fees

Legal Definition

fee

noun

1

: an inheritable freehold estate in real property

especially : fee simple compare leasehold, life estate at estate

— absolute fee

: a fee granted with no restrictions or limitations on alienability : fee simple absolute at fee simple

— conditional fee

: a fee that is subject to a condition: as

a : fee simple conditional at fee simple

b : fee simple on condition subsequent at fee simple

— defeasible fee

: a fee that is subject to terminating or being terminated

— determinable fee

: a defeasible fee that terminates automatically upon the occurrence of a specified event : fee simple determinable at fee simple

— fee patent

: a fee simple absolute that is granted by a patent from the U.S. government

also : a patent that grants a fee simple absolute

the land shall have the same status as though such fee patent had never been issued

—U.S. Code

Note: Allotments of parcels of land in reservations are held in private ownership by fee patents.

— fee tail

: a fee which is granted to an individual and to that individual's descendants, which is subject to a reversion or a remainder if a tenant in tail dies with no lineal descendants, and which is not freely alienable see also entail entry 1, De Donis Conditionalibus compare fee simple conditional at fee simple

Note: The fee tail developed out of the fee simple conditional as a means to ensure that property would remain intact and in the family. Instead of giving the grantee a fee simple absolute once he or she has a child, which the grantee could then alienate (as by selling), the fee tail creates a future interest in the descendants which prevents the grantee and the descendants from alienating the property. A fee tail is created by a conveyance to the grantee and to the heirs of the grantee's body. In most jurisdictions, the fee tail is not recognized.

2

: a fixed amount or percentage charged

especially : a sum paid or charged for a service

attorney fees

— contingency fee

: a fee for the services of a lawyer paid upon successful completion of the services and usually calculated as a percentage of the gain obtained for the client

called also contingency, contingent fee

compare champerty, maintenance

— filing fee

: a fee charged for the filing of a document

Note: Filing fees are ordinarily charged in civil matters with the filing of the complaint.

— jury fee

: a fee that is assessed in some courts as part of the cost of a civil jury trial

— origination fee

: a fee charged by a lender for the preparation and processing of a loan

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, fief, from Old French fé, fief, ultimately from a Germanic word akin to Old High German fehu cattle