What does "banquet" mean?
A large celebratory meal; a feast.
Banquet
/ˈbæŋkwɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large celebratory meal; a feast.
- Grammar: banquet is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: feast, aspadana, banqueting, bean-feast.
- Useful contrasts: casual gathering, fast, hunger.
- Usage evidence: I saw some of the guests leave the banquet room.
How to use "banquet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "banquet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "banquet" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "banquet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "banquet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "banquet" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "feast" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "banquet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large celebratory meal; a feast.
"True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant, And in his commendations I am fed; / It is a banquet to me."
- 2 a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed wordnet
- 3 A ceremonial dinner party for many people.
- 4 a ceremonial dinner party for many people wordnet
- 5 A dessert; a course of sweetmeats. archaic
"Wee'll dine in the great roome, but let the muſick / And banquet be prepar'd here."
Verb
- 1 To participate in a banquet; to feast. intransitive
"I am resolved; 'tis but a three years' fast: / The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: / Fat paunches have lean pates, and dainty bits / Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the wits."
- 2 partake in a feast or banquet wordnet
- 3 To have dessert after a feast. obsolete
"1580, George Cavendish, quoted by John Stow (ed.), The Annales of England, Faithfully collected out of the most autenticall Authors, Records, and other Monuments of Antiquitie, 1600 edition, “Henry the eight.,” p. 907, Then was the banquetting chamber in the tilt yard at Greenewich, to the which place these strangers were conducted by the noblest personages in the court, where they did both sup and banquet."
- 4 provide a feast or banquet for wordnet
- 5 To treat with a banquet or sumptuous entertainment of food; to feast. transitive
"Not possible; for who shall bear your part / And be in Padua here Vincentio's son; / Keep house and ply his book, welcome his friends, / Visit his countrymen, and banquet them?"
Antonyms
Example
"I saw some of the guests leave the banquet room."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "banquet"?
Common synonyms include: feast, aspadana, banqueting, bean-feast, beano, blow.
How do you use "banquet" in a sentence?
I saw some of the guests leave the banquet room.
How do you pronounce "banquet"?
Pronounced /ˈbæŋkwɪt/.
Etymology
From Middle English banket, from Middle French banquet, from Italian banchetto (“light repast between meals, snack eaten on a small bench”, literally “a small bench”), from banco (“bench”), from Lombardic *bank, *panch (“bench”), from Proto-Germanic *bankiz (“bench”). Akin to Old High German bank, banch (“bench”), Old English benċ (“bench”). More at bank, bench. The unetymological /w/ resulted from spelling-pronunciation.