tête-à-tête

1 of 3

noun

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

Examples of tête-à-tête in a Sentence

Noun had a quick tête-à-tête with my neighbor before heading off to work Adverb met tête-à-tête with the student's parents to discuss his disciplinary problems in class
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
These two have gone tete-a-tete against the top pair and are starting to come out on top. Todd Boss, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 Now, though, both candidates will have White House records to back up, leaving it unclear whether either will be able to seize the offensive -- and if one or the other will end up stuck on their back foot for the 90-minute tete-a-tete. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 26 June 2024 But truly do not feel any pressure to have that tete-a-tete anytime soon. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 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

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 18 Dec. 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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