cocktail

1 of 3

noun (1)

cock·​tail ˈkäk-ˌtāl 

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

a 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

cocktail

2 of 3

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or set aside for cocktails

a cocktail hour

2

: designed for semiformal wear

a cocktail dress

cocktail

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a horse with its tail docked

Synonyms of cocktail

Noun (1)

• mixture
• mix
• blend
• amalgam
• alloy
• amalgamation
• combination
• fusion
• synthesis

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

Noun

Another ace up its sleeve is that beverage director Colleen Hughes caught Michelin’s attention last year for making the best cocktails in the South at Supperland. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026

From a hidden garden to the industrial lobby to the cool cocktail bar, this is quickly becoming Madrid's trendiest spot. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026

Your new favorite bookshop is a mystical cocktail bar with a dragon. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Even amid the swirl of events Monday—including openings at neighborhood galleries such as Gagosian, Skarstedt, White Cube, and Hauser & Wirth—those who came for the conversation stayed for the cocktails after. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably from cock entry 1 + tail

Noun (2)

cock entry 1 + tail

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1781, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cocktail

• Americano cocktail
• cocktail dress
• cocktail glass
• cocktail hour
• cocktail lounge
• cocktail party
• cocktail sauce
• cocktail table
• house cocktail
• Molotov cocktail
• Roy Rogers cocktail
• Shirley Temple cocktail

Rhymes for cocktail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email
• entail

Kids Definition

cocktail

noun

cock·​tail

ˈkäk-ˌtāl

1

: an iced drink of distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients

2

: an appetizer (as tomato juice) served as a first course at a meal

Medical 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

chemotherapy cocktails to treat cancer

—J. L. Swerdlow