corkage

noun

cork·​age ˈkȯr-kij How to pronounce corkage (audio)
: a charge (as by a restaurant) for opening a bottle of wine bought elsewhere

Examples of corkage 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.
Between the lines: The current ban is just on the sale of alcohol — diners can bring their own, but restaurants can't make as much money off corkage fees as actual sales. Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024 Customers were permitted to bring their own wines (sans corkage fee) and even their own spirits, but our server noted with an amusing and skillful improv of a guest cradling an imaginary bottle, many of them felt weird about it. Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2024 These fees range from additional tips intended to maintain pay parity between the wait staff and the kitchen staff, to city health mandate fees, to corkage fees for diners who bring their own bottles of wine for dinner. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024 Wines start at $7 for a half-glass, $14 for a full glass and $41 for a bottle, or diners can buy a bottle from the bottle shop and have it with their meal for a $15 corkage fee. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for corkage 

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of corkage was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near corkage

Cite this Entry

“Corkage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corkage. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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