1
: a feudal estate : fee
2
: something over which one has rights or exercises control
a politician's fief
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In European feudalism, a fief was a source of income granted to a person (called a vassal) by his lord in exchange for his services. The fief usually consisted of land and the labor of peasants who were bound to cultivate it. The income it provided supported the vassal, who was obliged to fight for his lord as a knight.
Synonyms
Examples of fief in a Sentence
the logistics of the relief effort is the director's fief
Recent Examples on the Web
This Shangri-la hidden in the folds of the Himalayas was a pugilistic hodgepodge of Buddhist fiefs until unification as a nation in the 17th century.
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By Charlie Campbell/gelephu, Bhutan, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Image While ethnic militia commanders aligned with the military have long operated with impunity in certain fiefs in Shan State and Karen State, in the east, new high-rise buildings and scam warehouses have sprouted since the coup.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Syria’s many minorities The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 10 Dec. 2024
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By Charlie Campbell/gelephu, Bhutan, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Image While ethnic militia commanders aligned with the military have long operated with impunity in certain fiefs in Shan State and Karen State, in the east, new high-rise buildings and scam warehouses have sprouted since the coup.
—Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Syria’s many minorities The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024
The immediate post-Assad threat is that Syria might collapse into separate militia fiefs or into another civil war.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fief
Dictionary Entries Near fief
Cite this Entry
“Fief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fief. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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fief
noun
: a feudal estate
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