variants
or fêtes
1
as in events
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 celebrations
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
variants
or fêtes
as in honors
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 fetes
Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The calendar fills with village fetes around this time of year, and none are brighter than February’s Combat Naval Fleuri (Floral Naval Battle) when the region’s traditional wooden fishing boats are decorated in golden mimosas and other winter blooms.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2025
Violence has marred previous annual fetes.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The heads of some of the world’s leading film fetes gathered Tuesday at the Sarajevo Film Festival to discuss the role of festivals, broaching topical issues such as audience development and how growing political tension is affecting both curatorial and strategic decisions.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
Wild and kitschy shows followed with opening fetes dedicated to colorful subjects including Andy Warhol, circus clowns, and Canadian television creators and puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft.
—Lina Lecaro, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The calendar fills with village fetes around this time of year, and none are brighter than February’s Combat Naval Fleuri (Floral Naval Battle) when the region’s traditional wooden fishing boats are decorated in golden mimosas and other winter blooms.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2025
Violence has marred previous annual fetes.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The heads of some of the world’s leading film fetes gathered Tuesday at the Sarajevo Film Festival to discuss the role of festivals, broaching topical issues such as audience development and how growing political tension is affecting both curatorial and strategic decisions.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetes
Noun
-
Tune Into the Rhythm of Filipino Festivals After a nearly three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, festivals across the Philippines are once again taking the stage, filling up the events calendar with vivacious celebrations of local culture and tradition.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
March's meteor madness March had several notable fireball events.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pakistani weddings are often elaborate, multi-day celebrations that place strong emphasis on visual storytelling, color and cultural symbolism.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Within days, statues were removed and celebrations cancelled or renamed, including events tied to the federal César Chavez Day on March 31.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The game honors the weight of player choices from the original, allowing players to define whether Chloe survived the storm in Arcadia Bay and the nature of their relationship — whether friends or lovers.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But the plan for the building will ensure the Rubenstein Commons honors the old name and historic character of Ida Noyes Hall, UChicago said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After the Academy Awards earlier this month, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and superstar singer Taylor Swift attended some post-Oscars parties.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Perhaps the parties involved will take Kay’s advice, join forces, and find a way to make watching sports a little easier sometime soon.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The international film community—including the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice festivals and the American Cinematheque—spoke out against these persecutions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The option of instead using bollards aims to allow for the downtown area to be utilized for community events and festivals without the use of village vehicles and instead use the bollards at Prospect Avenue and Ann Street and at Park Avenue.—
Chuck Fieldman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Check out the full list of this year’s biggest bashes.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The result Saturday was a mid-winter party that felt different than any of their previous bashes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Seeded first in this NCAA regional and ranked second overall nationally behind 37-0 Connecticut, UCLA muscled past Minnesota 80-56 to start the festivities as Sacramento hosted a women’s tournament for the first time since 2010.—
Joe Davidson
March 27,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Hailing from Marinduque Island is the Moriones Festival, one of the oldest and most revered ecclesiastical festivities in the Philippines.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Cooper, meanwhile, racked up 69 receptions for 937 yards and a stunning 13 touchdowns during the Hoosiers' title-winning season.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In 2025, Boyd earned Star-Telegram All-Area First Team honors, tallying 1,478 yards and 18 TDs on 89 receptions despite constant double-teams.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fetes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fetes. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
