Definition of wassailnext

wassail

2 of 2

verb

as in to drink
to take part in drunken revelry the knights feasted and wassailed for three days after the battlefield victory

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wassail
Noun
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 Each glass of this nonalcoholic wassail is garnished with an apple slice and cinnamon stick. — Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
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 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 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
  • He was also arrested in December on drunk-driving charges that might have stemmed from an incident at a California airport, prosecutors said during his bond hearing Thursday morning.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of collectivity, there is a certain kind of animal community, or one that the poems’ speakers—children, old men, drunks, prostitutes—often stand apart from.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Women should be able to drink at a party without being raped.
    — Jennifer Obel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Haymitch has a supporting role in the original franchise, appearing as the disillusioned, hard-drinking mentor of Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But Resurrection is a return to form, as our genial serial killer relocates to New York after his now-adult son starts his own murder spree.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Billionaires have been on a giving spree recently, particularly toward higher education.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The inviting throw is ideal for curling up under while binging Halloween movies or hunkering down on football Sundays, and adds a fun fall feel to your space that can easily transition into winter decorating.
    — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Crew Girl Good enough to binge, not elite enough to remember.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • There are certainly fans and pundits who feel that anything short of a title shouldn’t be celebrated in sports, and some who think carousing over anything less is especially beneath the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series but zero since 2009.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wassail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wassail. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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