Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: fameus, from Latin fama; FAME

famous

 adjective
     
fa‧mous S2 W2
1
a) known about by many people in many places:
a famous actor
Many famous people have stayed in the hotel.
The Eiffel Tower is a famous landmark (=a famous place or building that is easy to recognize).
famous for
France is famous for its wine.
famous as
Virginia is famous as the birthplace of several US presidents.
Da Vinci's world-famous portrait of the Mona Lisa
b)

the famous

[plural] people who are famous:
a nightclub used by the rich and famous
2

famous last words

spoken used when someone has said too confidently that they can do something or that something will happen
WORD FOCUS: famous WORD FOCUS: famous
similar words: well-known, celebrated, renowned, eminent, noted, legendary
famous for doing something bad: notorious, infamous
not famous: little-known, unknown, obscure
a famous person: celebrity, celeb informal, star
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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