cocktail party

noun

Synonyms of cocktail partynext
: an informal or semiformal party or gathering at which cocktails are served

Examples of cocktail party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 On Friday afternoon, Disney’s marketing team hosted a cocktail party for influencers. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The idea is that doing this has some real-world parallels, both in scientific discovery but also in lots of other real world settings (think office politics or cocktail parties) where the rules of how to operate are not written down. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 And somehow — because this is how life on the cocktail party circuit works sometimes — their paths converged, maybe 30 yards from Babe Ruth’s plaque and just around the corner from the goosebumpy Ted Williams sculpture. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cocktail party

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cocktail party was in 1903

Rhymes for cocktail party

See All Rhymes for cocktail party

Browse Nearby Words

cocktail lounge
cocktail party
cocktail ring
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cocktail party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail%20party. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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