fancy
expensive, stylish, or elaborate
Looking very nice, smart, or special, and often costing more than normal.
a/an fancy [noun]
- They booked a fancy restaurant for their anniversary.
- I don't need anything fancy, just a simple black dress.
- He showed up in a fancy car and an expensive suit.
- We went to a fancy hotel by the sea.
- She wore a fancy dress to the wedding.
- This cake looks very fancy with all the flowers on top.
to want or feel like
To want something, or to feel that you would like to do something.
to fancy [something] / fancy doing [something]
- Do you fancy a drink after work?
- I don't fancy going out tonight; it's too cold.
- If you fancy something sweet, there's ice cream in the freezer.
- Do you fancy a coffee?
- I fancy staying at home this evening.
- She doesn't fancy watching a movie right now.
to be attracted to someone
To like someone in a romantic or sexual way.
to fancy [someone]
- I really fancy her, but I'm too shy to say anything.
- You can tell he fancies you by the way he looks at you.
- I used to fancy him at school, but now we're just friends.
- She thinks he really fancies her.
- I don't fancy him; he's just a friend.
- They both fancy each other, but no one wants to speak first.
advanced or complicated
Very advanced or complicated, often with many special features.
fancy [device/thing/feature]
- You don't need any fancy software to do this job.
- He bought a fancy camera with lots of special lenses.
- The website looks nice, but all those fancy graphics slow it down.
- My phone is not very fancy, but it works.
- This app has some fancy tools that I don't use.
- We don't need a fancy program, just a simple one.
a liking or desire
A feeling that you like something or want it, often suddenly and without a strong reason.
to have a fancy for [something/someone]
- He's always had a fancy for old jazz records.
- It was just a passing fancy; she soon forgot about it.
- As a child, he nurtured a romantic fancy of becoming a pirate.
- He has a fancy for sweet food.
- Her love of horses started as a simple fancy.
- I thought it was real love, but maybe it was only a fancy.
imagination or fantasy
The power of the mind to create pictures or ideas that are not real.
the realm of fancy
- The story is more a work of fancy than of fact.
- His wild fancy carried him to distant, imaginary lands.
- She dismissed the rumor as mere fancy.
- The book is full of magic and fancy.
- As a child, he lived in a world of fancy.
- This idea is just fancy, not reality.
to imagine or suppose
To think something is true or to imagine something, usually without strong reasons.
to fancy (that) [clause]
- For a moment, she fancied that she heard her name.
- You might fancy that money brings happiness, but it often does not.
- He fancied himself a great poet, though he had never published a line.
- Sometimes I fancy that my phone is listening to me.
- He fancied that the old house was haunted.
- She fancied herself very important at work.
- Base: fancy
- Comparative: fancier
- Superlative: fanciest
- Base: fancy
- Plural: fancies, fancy
- Base: fancy
- 3rd Person Singular: fancies
- Present Participle: fancying
- Past: fancied
catch someone's fancy
7attract someone's liking
To make someone interested in something or to make them like it.
- Nothing on the menu really caught my fancy.
- The idea of working abroad suddenly caught her fancy.
- If any of these books catch your fancy, you can borrow them.
do you fancy…?
3asking if someone wants something
A polite, informal way in British English to ask if someone wants something.
- Do you fancy going to the cinema tonight?
- Do you fancy a cup of tea?
- Do you fancy a game of tennis this weekend?
fancy dress
1costume for a party
In British English, clothes you wear to look like a different person or thing, for a party or event.
- They're having a fancy dress party on Saturday.
- He came in fancy dress as a pirate.
- We spent all afternoon making fancy dress costumes for the kids.
fancy someone
2be attracted to someone
To like someone in a romantic or sexual way.
- I think she really fancies him.
- Everyone knows you fancy her—it's obvious.
- He admitted he had fancied her for years.
fancy that
6mild expression of surprise
Used to show surprise, interest, or that you did not expect something.
- He's moving to Australia? Fancy that.
- Fancy that, we were in Paris on the same day and never met.
- She passed the exam without studying—fancy that!
fancy yourself (as)
8think too highly of yourself
To think you are very good at something, or more important or attractive than you really are.
- He really fancies himself as a singer.
- She fancies herself an expert on art after one course.
- Don't fancy yourself so much; it was just one good game.
footloose and fancy-free
10free and without commitments
Free to do what you want because you have no serious job, family, or romantic responsibilities.
- He spent his twenties footloose and fancy-free, travelling the world.
- Now that the kids have left home, they're footloose and fancy-free again.
- She enjoys being footloose and fancy-free after ending her long relationship.
nothing fancy
5simple, not special
Used to describe something that is simple and not expensive or special.
- I just made pasta for dinner—nothing fancy.
- He wore jeans and a T-shirt, nothing fancy.
- We want a small wedding, nothing fancy.
take a fancy to
9suddenly start liking
To suddenly start to like someone or something very much.
- The cat seems to have taken a fancy to you.
- She took a fancy to the little house by the river.
- He quickly took a fancy to Japanese food.
whatever you fancy
4anything you want
Used to say that someone can choose anything they want.
- You can have whatever you fancy for dinner.
- Pick whatever you fancy from the menu.
- It's your birthday, so we'll do whatever you fancy.
flight of fancy
1Unrealistic imaginative idea
An idea or thought that is very imaginative but not realistic.
- Her plan to build a city on Mars was dismissed as a mere flight of fancy.
- The plan was dismissed as a mere flight of fancy.
- He often indulges in flights of fancy during long meetings.
- His novels mix fact with flights of fancy.
- Her theory is interesting, but it may be just a flight of fancy.