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Synonyms

carousal

American  
[kuh-rou-zuhl] / kəˈraʊ zəl /

noun

  1. a noisy or drunken feast or social gathering; revelry.


carousal British  
/ kəˈraʊzəl /

noun

  1. a merry drinking party

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of carousal

First recorded in 1755–65; carouse + -al 2

Explanation

The noun carousal describes a rowdy gathering that involves drinking too much alcohol. Carousal is said to be a popular pastime of some rock stars. Carousal stumbled into English by way of the French word carousser, meaning, "drink, quaff, swill," which in turn traces back to the German gar austrinken, meaning "to drink up entirely." As you might guess, the word carousal involves drinking — lots of it. A verb form, carouse, carries a related meaning — people carouse at a carousal. In other words, they drink a lot at the booze party.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But Cecchini says such open-air carousal wasn't an issue at his bars.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2021

Already, we’ve posted the six worst coaching personnel moves of the past year, and in that vein, here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2014-15 NFL coaching carousal.

From Forbes Feb. 6, 2015

Also, avoid trying to use the classic, rotating carousal for any strategic advantage.

From Washington Times Jan. 31, 2015

His book evokes the odd combination of empowerment and impermanence that lit the nights of carousal and darkened the mornings of takeoff.

From Time Magazine Archive

The description of a carousal in the next chapter will present a more fit occasion for my considering at large the custom of drinking wine as existing among the Arabs.

From The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I. Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Anonymous

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