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
Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
The menu will include around five core cocktails from Rzepka's original recipes, as well as five rotating cocktails that will swap out with the seasons.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The company, which has locations in Grand Haven and Grand Rapids, makes a variety of vodkas, whiskeys and brandies, liqueurs and canned cocktails.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
In the evening, the rooftop Art Bar came alive with DJs, creative cocktails, and a lively social atmosphere that catered to generations both young and old.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
Enjoy an on-theme cocktail like Blessed and Happy Afterlife (with pisco, gin, and passion fruit) at the Elysian Bar on the ground floor.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
The menu will include around five core cocktails from Rzepka's original recipes, as well as five rotating cocktails that will swap out with the seasons.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The company, which has locations in Grand Haven and Grand Rapids, makes a variety of vodkas, whiskeys and brandies, liqueurs and canned cocktails.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
In the evening, the rooftop Art Bar came alive with DJs, creative cocktails, and a lively social atmosphere that catered to generations both young and old.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 22 Oct. 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 26 Oct. 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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