What does fanfare mean?
Word: Fanfare
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Fanfare means a short, loud tune played on trumpets to announce someone important; also a lot of noisy, showy excitement about something.
Synonyms: flourish, fuss, publicity
Antonyms: silence
How do you spell fanfare?
Syllables: fan - fare
Tricky part: The second half is fare, as in bus fare, not fair. Because the two sound the same, fanfair is a very common slip.
Watch out for: fanfair, fanfar, phanfare
Memory tip: The trumpets play as the crowd pays its fare: fanfare ends with the same fare you pay on a bus.
Fanfare in a sentence
Example 1: The guest of honour walked onto the stage to a fanfare of trumpets.
Example 2: The new metro line opened with great fanfare, with balloons, bands and speeches.
Example 3: Grandma quietly turned ninety, without any fanfare, just a cup of tea with the family.
Fun Fact
The American composer Aaron Copland wrote a well-known piece called Fanfare for the Common Man in 1942, played mostly by brass instruments and drums.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with fanfare?
a) stare
b) are
c) chair
d) wear
Show answer
b) are. Are looks as if it should match, but it has the vowel of car; chair, wear and stare all rhyme with fare.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
1234567 nfaerfa
a) 1236754
b) 2316754
c) 2136754
d) 3216754
Show answer
b) 2316754. Reading 2, 3, 1, 6, 7, 5 and 4 in turn spells f-a-n-f-a-r-e.
Word Tally
How many of these words are spelt correctly?
fanfare, trumpit, drummer, parade, baner, cymbel
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 2
Show answer
a) 3. Trumpet ends in et, banner has a double n and cymbal ends in al, so three are right.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
When the bandmaster raised his baton, the brass section played a bright fanfare to open the school consert.
a) the players of trumpets and horns
b) a short stick used to lead a band
c) a public performance of music
d) the leader of a group of musicians
Show answer
c) a public performance of music. Consert should be concert, a show where music is played to an audience.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a shop opens without any fanfare, it opens ____.
a) on a public holiday
b) quietly, with no celebration
c) with a big parade
d) with fireworks and music
Show answer
b) quietly, with no celebration
2. Which instrument is most often used to play a fanfare?
a) the violin
b) the harp
c) the trumpet
d) the flute
Show answer
c) the trumpet
