confetti

IPA/kənˈfeti/
KK[kənfˈɛti]IPA/kənˈfeti/

confetti — noun

1. tiny bits of bright paper that people toss into the air to celebrate a special e

1.nounB2
Definition

tiny bits of bright paper that people toss into the air to celebrate a special event, especially when a wedding ceremony ends

Example

Guests threw confetti over Nina and Omar as they left the church.

throw confetti over + couple

Silver confetti covered the dance floor after the school talent show.

confetti covered + place after an event

Common collocations
  • throw confetti
  • a burst of confetti
  • paper confetti
  • confetti cannon
  • clear up confetti
Synonyms
  • paper bits

    descriptive rather than fixed — it explains the material but does not suggest celebration in the same way

  • party confetti

    a fuller phrase used when the celebration context needs to be made explicit

Grammar Patterns

uncountable noun

throw confetti over + person

a burst of confetti

Usage Note

Confetti is usually treated as an uncountable noun when you mean the paper as a mass. If you need to count it, say 'a piece of confetti' or 'pieces of confetti' rather than 'a confetti' or 'confettis'.

Common Mistakes

The children threw many confettis.
The children threw a lot of confetti.
confetti is usually an uncountable noun in standard English.
I picked up three confetti from the floor.
I picked up three pieces of confetti from the floor.
count the pieces, not the mass noun itself.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all appear at celebrations, but they create different effects. 'Confetti' means many tiny pieces that are thrown into the air or scattered over people. 'Glitter' is much smaller and shinier, and people more often use it in crafts or makeup than in big public showers. 'Streamers' are long strips, so they hang, trail, or flutter instead of falling like a cloud of small pieces. 'Petals' come from flowers and usually give a softer, more natural feeling, especially at weddings. So guests may throw confetti after the ceremony, hang streamers around the hall, use glitter on handmade cards, or scatter petals down the aisle.

confetti ↗glitter ↗streamers ↗petals ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • confetti cannon
  • confetti shower
  • paper confetti

Phrases

  • throw confetti
  • a burst of confetti
  • clear up confetti

Prepositions

  • over the couple
  • at a wedding
  • after the parade

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

English borrowed 'confetti' from Italian, where it was the plural of 'confetto', a sugar-coated sweet that people once threw or handed out at celebrations. Later, the name was transferred to the small paper pieces used for the same festive purpose.

First known use

1895

1895, in the meaning defined above