fame

1 of 2

noun

ˈfām How to pronounce fame (audio)
Synonyms of fame
1
a
: public estimation : reputation
b
: popular acclaim : renown
2
archaic : rumor

fame

2 of 2

verb

famed; faming

transitive verb

1
archaic : report, repute
2
: to make famous

Synonyms of fame

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of fame in a Sentence

Noun He died at the height of his fame. The book tells the story of her sudden rise to fame. He gained fame as an actor. She went to Hollywood seeking fame and fortune.
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
Vozinha shot to global fame overnight, with his social media following skyrocketing from around 50,000 before the match to over 13 million today. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 More recently, Gray has gained a new kind of fame from his social media feed. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
While the original New York Couch Doctor (516-779-1720) is famed for disassembling bulky furniture in emergency situations 24/7, the charge is anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. — Cassie Hurwitz, Curbed, 25 Aug. 2026 Old-Days Maneuver Bessent, 63, was famed for his role in successful, high-stakes bets on the British pound and Japanese yen during his work for George Soros. — Christopher Anstey, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fame

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fama report, fame; akin to Latin fari to speak — more at ban entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fame was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing fame

Rhymes for fame

See All Rhymes for fame

Browse Nearby Words

famatinite
fame
famed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fame. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

fame

noun
ˈfām
: the fact or condition of being known to the public : renown
famed
ˈfāmd
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All