as in drunk
a bout of prolonged or excessive drinking
woke up with a terrible headache from a wild wassail the night before
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Recent Examples of wassail
Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Since 2022, cider sommelier Dan Pucci and Madeleine Osborn have hosted their idiosyncratic take on an English wassail celebration, the ancient tradition of visiting apple orchards in the wintertime to fête the trees and promote a prosperous harvest in the year to come.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 26 Nov. 2024
The French enjoy their vin chaud, the British their wassail.
—Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2024
Enjoy Harvest Cider, special wassail cocktails, live music, costume contest and the Blessing of the Trees.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 14 Jan. 2024
One of the most traditional holiday drinks of them all, wintertime wassail gets a contemporary update in this flavorful drink recipe.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023
One variation involves people traveling door-to-door singing traditional songs and spreading good wishes while carrying a bowl of wassail.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Reception from 5-8 p.m. (360 K St.; see Facebook event) Anchorage Distillery — Paintings and prints by Laura Dewey with a limited special edition cocktail menu, including whiskey wassail.
—Anchorage Daily News, 4 Nov. 2021
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 Dec. 2025
In addition to the live music in Caldwell Hall, there's also an opportunity to join an English tradition: wassailing around the apple tree, a ritual to inspire a bountiful harvest in the year ahead.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 19 Nov. 2025
Image Image In the village of Midsomer Norton, about 50 miles away, 100 people or so turned out for a community event to wassail three small apple trees in the local park.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
This drink was often used as part of wassailing in England.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Reisinger's Apple Country, located in Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake, also has a wassailing event on the horizon.
—Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Jan. 2018
There was toasting and wassailing all around And cinnamon sticks in yule logs were wrapped and bound.
—Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 26 Oct. 2017
Noun
Roast pork, chicken or Cornish game hen were common as the main course, served with hearty breads, roasted vegetables, salad, dessert and plenty of wassail to drink.
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Since 2022, cider sommelier Dan Pucci and Madeleine Osborn have hosted their idiosyncratic take on an English wassail celebration, the ancient tradition of visiting apple orchards in the wintertime to fête the trees and promote a prosperous harvest in the year to come.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 26 Nov. 2024
The French enjoy their vin chaud, the British their wassail.
—Anna Lee Iijima, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2024
Enjoy Harvest Cider, special wassail cocktails, live music, costume contest and the Blessing of the Trees.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 14 Jan. 2024
One of the most traditional holiday drinks of them all, wintertime wassail gets a contemporary update in this flavorful drink recipe.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023
One variation involves people traveling door-to-door singing traditional songs and spreading good wishes while carrying a bowl of wassail.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Reception from 5-8 p.m. (360 K St.; see Facebook event) Anchorage Distillery — Paintings and prints by Laura Dewey with a limited special edition cocktail menu, including whiskey wassail.
—Anchorage Daily News, 4 Nov. 2021
Verb
Some speculate that wassailing predates Christianity in the region; others note its association with the Christian holiday of Twelfth Night.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 Dec. 2025
In addition to the live music in Caldwell Hall, there's also an opportunity to join an English tradition: wassailing around the apple tree, a ritual to inspire a bountiful harvest in the year ahead.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 19 Nov. 2025
Image Image In the village of Midsomer Norton, about 50 miles away, 100 people or so turned out for a community event to wassail three small apple trees in the local park.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
This drink was often used as part of wassailing in England.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
Reisinger's Apple Country, located in Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake, also has a wassailing event on the horizon.
—Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Jan. 2018
There was toasting and wassailing all around And cinnamon sticks in yule logs were wrapped and bound.
—Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 26 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wassail
Noun
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Justin Timberlake, who closed out BottleRock Napa Valley 2025 after a turbulent year, is now fighting to keep video of his 2024 drunk-driving arrest from becoming public.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
First off, the guy on the sidewalk outside the liquor store was a drunk, not an oracle.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Police are urging anyone with information to contact investigators, emphasizing that underage individuals who were drinking will not face penalties for coming forward.—
Jamie Leary,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Food and drink The food throughout Vietnam is fantastic and is a huge reason to visit the country.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The company’s hiring spree comes amid a dampened US labor market, as more companies pursue layoffs and pause hiring, often citing AI as the reason.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
22 Mar. 2026
-
If David Ellison’s latest spree gets the thumbs up from the feds, this may be the last time the men’s title game will air exclusively on cable.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While the details of the threat facing humanity are new to this story, moviegoers are used to bingeing on popcorn while watching a heroic quest to save the Earth from certain doom.—
Scott Solomon,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
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In 1945, Claire and Frank finally take a real honeymoon in Inverness, where Claire basically binges info on Scottish Highlander history and the Battle of Culloden thanks to Frank nerding out.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The team were meek in defeat, but after a weekend carousing and communing in central London, Newcastle fans arrived at Wembley with a collective hangover.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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But that doesn’t add much beyond three crusty Báthory ancestors carousing drunkenly in their coffins.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wassail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wassail. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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