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
Jessica Hill, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Food and drink The all-day Mowry & Cotton with its upscale Americana interior and expansive patio has an approachable menu of seasonal salads, steaks, seafood, and flatbreads from the wood-burning oven along with crafty cocktails including a smoked Old Fashioned that’s torched tableside.
—Lizbeth Scordo, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
In the lobby-level Botaniq Cocktail Lab, mixologists serve artisanal cocktails inspired by herbs and plants native to the Azores.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Many citrus fruits are great for eating out of hand in sections or slices, and nothing beats a glass of fresh orange or grapefruit juice, or a wedge of lemon or lime in a cocktail.
—Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
Longtime Las Vegas visitors liken the decline of buffets to the disappearance of the 99-cent shrimp cocktail, another iconic offering that had contributed to the city’s reputation as an affordable vacation spot.
—Jessica Hill, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Food and drink The all-day Mowry & Cotton with its upscale Americana interior and expansive patio has an approachable menu of seasonal salads, steaks, seafood, and flatbreads from the wood-burning oven along with crafty cocktails including a smoked Old Fashioned that’s torched tableside.
—Lizbeth Scordo, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
In the lobby-level Botaniq Cocktail Lab, mixologists serve artisanal cocktails inspired by herbs and plants native to the Azores.
—Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Many citrus fruits are great for eating out of hand in sections or slices, and nothing beats a glass of fresh orange or grapefruit juice, or a wedge of lemon or lime in a cocktail.
—Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 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 4 Feb. 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
