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
Lillian Ali, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
But first and foremost, this is a bar and the star of the show is the cocktails, overseen by Yann Bouvignies, who helped make Scarfes at Rosewood London into an award-winning institution.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025
The cruise route is flexible (but dependent on water conditions), and expect perks like a welcome cocktail, high-quality sound system, and a floating mat for on-the-water fun.
—Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
After each group perfected their cocktail, Herbert tried them all, judging the drinks based on their taste and appearance.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
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Noun
The antivenom cocktail, described in a study published this month in the journal Cell, is still not ready for human testing.
—Lillian Ali, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
But first and foremost, this is a bar and the star of the show is the cocktails, overseen by Yann Bouvignies, who helped make Scarfes at Rosewood London into an award-winning institution.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025
The cruise route is flexible (but dependent on water conditions), and expect perks like a welcome cocktail, high-quality sound system, and a floating mat for on-the-water fun.
—Angela Caraway-Carlton, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
After each group perfected their cocktail, Herbert tried them all, judging the drinks based on their taste and appearance.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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
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