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
Synonyms
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
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
Beyond just a holiday for wine and cocktails, Thanksgiving dinner is an ideal occasion to bring out a range of whiskeys, matching their flavors to each classic dish on the table.
—Emily Price, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Some might feel the need to sell wine or cocktails for non-beer drinkers, and increasingly, to provide nonalcoholic options as well.
—Megan Stringer, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
But its new Los Feliz neighbor, focused on Calabrian specialties, is more versatile, offering hearty paninis and pastas along with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options — plus a nonalcoholic cocktail list.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocktail 
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Noun
There are also some great cocktails on the menu there, including seven variations on the Negroni ranging from traditional to non-alcoholic.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
Beyond just a holiday for wine and cocktails, Thanksgiving dinner is an ideal occasion to bring out a range of whiskeys, matching their flavors to each classic dish on the table.
—Emily Price, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Some might feel the need to sell wine or cocktails for non-beer drinkers, and increasingly, to provide nonalcoholic options as well.
—Megan Stringer, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
But its new Los Feliz neighbor, focused on Calabrian specialties, is more versatile, offering hearty paninis and pastas along with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options — plus a nonalcoholic cocktail list.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocktail
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Dictionary Entries Near cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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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