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
Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Each class also has a signature bar with its signature cocktail menu.
—Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024
From a spring celebration of bare survival after pitiless hardships, Thanksgiving has evolved to its present proportions, with a football game in every stadium and millions of family parties, starting with fruit cocktail and concluding with fruit, cheese, coffee, cordial and cigars.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024
Post-game relaxation always follows during daily high tea held in the hotel’s cocktail bar, tastefully designed by Ralph Lauren.
—Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocktail 
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Noun
Live Twice Live Twice is an intimate cocktail space for those that take their nightcaps seriously.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Each class also has a signature bar with its signature cocktail menu.
—Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024
From a spring celebration of bare survival after pitiless hardships, Thanksgiving has evolved to its present proportions, with a football game in every stadium and millions of family parties, starting with fruit cocktail and concluding with fruit, cheese, coffee, cordial and cigars.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024
Post-game relaxation always follows during daily high tea held in the hotel’s cocktail bar, tastefully designed by Ralph Lauren.
—Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocktail
Articles Related to cocktail
Dictionary Entries Near cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 2 Dec. 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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