What does fave mean?
Fave is an informal noun meaning a favorite — the person or thing someone likes best. A clipped form of 'favorite', it arose in casual spoken English and is now firmly established in everyday conversation, journalism, and social media, where phrases like 'all-time fave' and 'fan fave' are common. Calling something your fave conveys warmth and enthusiasm without any pretension, which is why it thrives in pop-culture commentary about bands, foods, shows, and sports figures. Because it is distinctly colloquial, it suits relaxed contexts rather than formal writing, where 'favorite' remains the appropriate choice. The word is spelled identically in British and American English, a small convenience given that its parent word takes different regional spellings ('favourite' versus 'favorite'). Short, punchy, and affectionate, 'fave' is a handy bit of modern vocabulary for expressing personal preference quickly and naturally.
nounA favorite person or thing; an informal shortening of 'favorite' used to refer to something or someone one likes best.
- A person or thing that is one's favorite; a particular favorite.
"This bakery's lemon tart is a longtime fave of mine."
"Her new album instantly became my fave."
"He's always been the crowd's fave at every tournament."
The regular plural 'faves' is common in informal contexts when referring to several favorites.
"She shared her top ten faves from the festival."
Born from the casual shorthand of American speech, 'fave' packs an entire word's worth of affection into just four letters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fave
Fave is a clipping of 'favorite', formed by simple truncation in informal American English, likely during the twentieth century. 'Favorite' itself descends from the Latin 'favor', meaning goodwill or approval, derived from 'favere', to show favor, which also gave English words such as 'favorable' and 'favored'. As a clipped form, 'fave' shares this Latin lineage while belonging to the same family of abbreviations that produced casual terms like 'prep' from 'preparatory'. It is now common throughout the English-speaking world despite its informal origins.
How fave is actually used
Strictly informal and conversational; avoid in formal or academic writing. Common in pop-culture commentary, social media, and everyday speech. The spelling is identical in British and US English, even though 'favourite' and 'favorite' themselves differ regionally.
Easily confused with fave
'Favour' is the standard British spelling of the noun meaning kindness or approval, whereas 'fave' is the informal shortened form of 'favorite/favourite' referring to a best-liked person or thing.