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
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 July 2025
Cuisine: cocktails, gourmet shareable items How to order: In person.
—Mari Pressley, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2025
Tony Sachs has been writing about spirits, cocktails, and the people who make them for Forbes since 2022.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Tickets are $125 per person and include Turf Club admission, a reserved table seat, two appetizers, two drink tickets (for premium cocktails, wine or beer), and chips and guacamole for the table.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
The hybrid concepts will serve coffee and snacks in the daytime and transition into an after-hours destination with mocktails, cocktails, and live entertainment.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 July 2025
Cuisine: cocktails, gourmet shareable items How to order: In person.
—Mari Pressley, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2025
Tony Sachs has been writing about spirits, cocktails, and the people who make them for Forbes since 2022.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Tickets are $125 per person and include Turf Club admission, a reserved table seat, two appetizers, two drink tickets (for premium cocktails, wine or beer), and chips and guacamole for the table.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 31 Jul. 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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