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

On May 16, they were seen arriving hand in hand at Honey's cocktail bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for a dinner party. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026

Catch a performance at The Hook (a raunchy, serendipitous acrobatics show), grab cocktails at the revamped, retro Angeloni’s Club Madrid, or opt for a classic lunch at Knife & Fork Inn or Dock’s Oyster House. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 May 2026

Smoke and tropical fruit are already best friends—make an appointment with an al pastor taco for more examples of this—and this cocktail invented by San Francisco bartender Thad Vogler pairs them beautifully. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 23 May 2026

The Kensington Hideaway, a boutique hotel a few minutes’ walk from Kensington Palace, is also having a Sloane moment, offering cocktails such as The Sloane Ranger Spritz, Chelsea Crafted and Trust Fund Mule. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 May 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