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
Blair Crosby,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
However, as the industry innovates with newer products such as high alcohol content beer or ready-to-drink cocktails, the efficacy of the categorical system continues to break down.
—
Adam Hoffer,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
All that to say, a glass of rye whiskey, one of the oldest drinks in America and the original base of many of our earliest cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, is an easy way to honor the scrappy American spirit.
—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 July 2026
Although its popularity has waned in the past few decades, fruit cocktail was all the rage in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
Contrary to their label, these cocktails are more than a trashy afterthought; their flavor pairings are as well considered as any other on the menu.
—
Blair Crosby,
AJC.com,
5 July 2026
However, as the industry innovates with newer products such as high alcohol content beer or ready-to-drink cocktails, the efficacy of the categorical system continues to break down.
—
Adam Hoffer,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
All that to say, a glass of rye whiskey, one of the oldest drinks in America and the original base of many of our earliest cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, is an easy way to honor the scrappy American spirit.
—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 July 2026
Although its popularity has waned in the past few decades, fruit cocktail was all the rage in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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
