1
: a cloth cap worn with nightclothes
2
: a usually alcoholic drink taken at the end of the day
3
: the final race or contest of a day's sports
especially
: the second game of a baseball doubleheader
Examples of nightcap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After dinner, many guests migrate to the aft and sun decks for a nightcap under the stars.
—
Rachel Ingram, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Tune the channel to the Big Ten Network at 11:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night to catch an exciting nightcap out of the college football world between Colorado State and Washington.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
Some things have held steady across the past two decades — Sunday is the all-day affair with afternoon slots and a nightcap; Monday and Thursday have standalone games.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The nightcap will feature foes-turned-friends in James and Curry, who played each other in four straight championship series from 2015 to 2018, then teamed up at the Paris Olympics in 2024 to capture gold for the United States.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightcap
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Rachel Ingram, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Tune the channel to the Big Ten Network at 11:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night to catch an exciting nightcap out of the college football world between Colorado State and Washington.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025
Some things have held steady across the past two decades — Sunday is the all-day affair with afternoon slots and a nightcap; Monday and Thursday have standalone games.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The nightcap will feature foes-turned-friends in James and Curry, who played each other in four straight championship series from 2015 to 2018, then teamed up at the Paris Olympics in 2024 to capture gold for the United States.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nightcap
Cite this Entry
“Nightcap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nightcap. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nightcap
noun
night·cap
ˈnīt-ˌkap 
1
: a cap worn with nightclothes
2
: a drink taken at bedtime
3
: the final race or contest of a day's sports activities
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