1
a
: a usually iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients
b
: something resembling or suggesting such a drink as being a mixture of often diverse elements or ingredients
a cocktail of remembered incidents and pure imagination—
Charlotte Low
Charlotte Lowa cocktail of herbicides
c
: a mixture of agents usually in solution that is taken or used especially for medical treatment or diagnosis
2
: an appetizer served as a first course at a meal
1
: of, relating to, or set aside for cocktails
a cocktail hour
2
: designed for semiformal wear
a cocktail dress
: a horse with its tail docked
Examples of cocktail in a Sentence
Noun (1)
an autopsy found a lethal cocktail of banned substances in the actor's body
Recent Examples on the Web
Mckenzie Rankin, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025
This festive cocktail is the perfect way to raise a glass to good fortune and Irish cheer!
—Aly Walansky, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Conversation and Ruinart flowed, as did cocktails—Tokyo Garden, a gin, shiso and yuzu mix proved very popular.
—Funmi Fetto, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Stir up this big-batch twist on a classic British cocktail.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
Hello, Sailor The vibe: Located about 25 minutes from Charlotte, Hello, Sailor is a fitting venue for a lakeside date — try their tiki cocktails, share popcorn shrimp and enjoy the sunset over Lake Norman.
—Mckenzie Rankin, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025
This festive cocktail is the perfect way to raise a glass to good fortune and Irish cheer!
—Aly Walansky, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Conversation and Ruinart flowed, as did cocktails—Tokyo Garden, a gin, shiso and yuzu mix proved very popular.
—Funmi Fetto, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Stir up this big-batch twist on a classic British cocktail.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
Articles Related to cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cocktail
noun
cock·tail
ˈkäk-ˌtāl 
: a mixture of agents usually in solution that is taken or used especially for medical treatment or diagnosis
a potent cocktail of antiretroviral drugs—Zia Jaffrey
Zia Jaffreychemotherapy cocktails to treat cancer—J. L. Swerdlow
J. L. SwerdlowLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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