celebrity
Americannoun
-
celebrities
plural
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a famous or well-known person.
-
fame; renown.
- Synonyms:
- stardom, eminence, note, distinction
noun
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a famous person
a show-business celebrity
-
fame or notoriety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebrity
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A celebrity is a very famous person. If you single-handedly save an entire family from a burning building, you'll become a local celebrity. Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn't have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.
Vocabulary lists containing celebrity
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Academy Awards, List 5
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Lesson 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The county assessor is cracking down on celebrity jet owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The media were trying "to make her a celebrity," fumed Friedan, "but no one should mistake her for a leader."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Despite its celebrity pedigree and hefty price tag, the treatment itself is one of the more affordable wellness options among the U.S.’ trillion-dollar wellness industry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The A-list celebrity couple is now settling in back in Harry's homeland, six years after they stepped down as working royals and left for the United States amid bitter acrimony with his family.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Geyer paid little attention to his new celebrity.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Over the last decade, preservation has become a focal point in Broad Beach, a hyper-exclusive enclave where celebrities and business tycoons spend tens of millions of dollars for homes right on the water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
She has become one of the UK's best-known content creators through the web series, which features interviews with rappers, actors and celebrities framed as a "date" with the host.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
I am not the kind of person who does well meeting celebrities.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
Snap rolled out a splashy ad campaign with photos of celebrities such as NBA player Jimmy Butler, rapper Jack Harlow, model Kaia Gerber, and others wearing the new Specs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The famous celebrities would have been miserable without their air-conditioning and entertainment centers.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
