Meaning & use
banquet
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A large formal meal for many people, often held to celebrate a special event or honor someone.
Grammar: Countable: a banquet, two banquets.
Patterns
- hold a banquet
- attend a banquet
- a banquet for someone
- a state banquet
The mayor held a banquet to welcome the visiting delegation.
They attended a charity banquet in the grand ballroom.
A banquet was given in honor of the retiring professor.
nouncountablefigurative
A large amount of good food; a feast.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: a banquet of flavors.
Patterns
- a banquet of something
The dessert table offered a banquet of cakes and pastries.
The novel is a banquet of ideas and characters.
Word forms
| plural | banquets |
|---|
Common combinations
- state banquet
- The president hosted a state banquet for the visiting queen.
- wedding banquet
- After the ceremony, guests moved to the hotel for the wedding banquet.
- banquet hall
- The hotel has a large banquet hall that seats 500 people.
- banquet table
- The banquet table was covered with silver dishes.
- hold a banquet
- The charity will hold a banquet to raise funds for the hospital.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feast
- A feast is a large special meal, often with a festive or celebratory feel; a banquet is usually more formal and organized.
- dinner
- Dinner is the main meal of the day, not necessarily formal or large; a banquet is always a formal event.
- spread
- A spread is an informal large meal laid out on a table; a banquet suggests a formal occasion with service.
Word family
- banqueter noun
- A person who attends a banquet.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence? The city held a formal ______ to honor the firefighters.
Choose one answer.
Banquet fits because it is a large formal meal for a special occasion. Snack is a small light meal, picnic is informal outdoors, and buffet is a style of serving food, not necessarily formal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “banquet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.