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
Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Given the circumstances and the fact that Hemingway had recently coined his other cocktail Death in the Afternoon, Baker christened it Death in the Gulf Stream.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 9 May 2026
Adults can sip a cocktail from the adjacent Elf Hollow Cafe, or the whole family can enjoy a bounteous family-style chicken dinner at Zehnder's Restaurant, a half-mile down the road.
—Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 9 May 2026
My drinks of choice lately switch between Spanish white wines or Mezcal cocktails.
—Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
Craft cocktails made with sake and Japanese whiskey go down a treat, too.
—Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Given the circumstances and the fact that Hemingway had recently coined his other cocktail Death in the Afternoon, Baker christened it Death in the Gulf Stream.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 9 May 2026
Adults can sip a cocktail from the adjacent Elf Hollow Cafe, or the whole family can enjoy a bounteous family-style chicken dinner at Zehnder's Restaurant, a half-mile down the road.
—Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 9 May 2026
My drinks of choice lately switch between Spanish white wines or Mezcal cocktails.
—Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 9 May 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 12 May. 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
