champagne
noun
the sparkling, dry, white table wine from the region of Champagne in France.
champagne
1 American
[sham-payn]
/ ʃæmˈpeɪn /
noun
-
champagnes
plural
-
(initial capital letter) the sparkling, dry, white table wine from the region of Champagne in France.
-
a similar sparkling wine produced elsewhere.
-
(formerly) the nonsparkling, dry, white table wine produced in the region of Champagne in France.
-
a very pale yellow or greenish-yellow color.
-
anything considered the best or luxurious.
adjective
-
having the color of champagne.
-
luxurious or expensive.
champagne tastes.
Champagne
2
American
[sham-payn, shahn -pan-yuh]
/ ʃæmˈpeɪn, ʃɑ̃ˈpan jə /
noun
champagne
British
/ ʃæmˈpeɪn /
noun
-
(sometimes capital) a white sparkling wine produced around Reims and Epernay, France
-
(loosely) any effervescent white wine
-
-
a colour varying from a pale orange-yellow to a greyish-yellow
-
( as adjective )
a champagne carpet
-
-
(modifier) denoting a luxurious lifestyle
a champagne capitalist
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of champagne
First recorded in 1655–65; after Champagne
Explanation
Champagne is a bubbly white wine that people often drink to celebrate happy occasions. When you pull the cork out of a bottle of champagne, it makes a loud pop. Traditionally, the sparkling wine known as champagne came from a specific region of France and was made from certain grapes grown there. Some people now call any sparkling wine champagne, but most champagnes are made following certain rules and traditions. A champagne glass is called a flute, and it's tall and narrow with a long stem. The word champagne is short for vin de Champagne, "wine made in Champagne."
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:
Davis knows the noise is a champagne problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
During the second fermentation process, which gives champagne its bubbles, "a very small number of wines from this harvest could have slightly exceeded the regulatory limit of 13%, reaching around 13.1% or 13.2%".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
It "should prompt reflection on the champagne of tomorrow", he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
I remember they sat us down in their production office, and we had champagne, and they gave us each our character arcs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
He pours the concoction into a crystal champagne flute and hands it to me.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
And if you sniff the lobby of downtown Los Angeles’ Ritz-Carlton, you may detect “bright effervescent notes ... layered with soft florals,” a custom fragrance known as Champagne & Shimmer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Caviar and Champagne is giving way to caviar and chicken nuggets as cheap options expand the market to mainstream consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Guests were served Champagne as they walked into a hotel ballroom, according to one guest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
That speech has been followed by a series of moves to solidify the Canada-EU alliance, which Champagne said would increase this week.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Cornwall Capital’s bet against subprime mortgage bonds had quadrupled its capital, from a bit more than $30 million to $135 million, but its three founders never had a Champagne moment.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
"If they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100 percent tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out of France," he was quoted as saying.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Cristal's 2012 and 2013 champagnes were the most-traded bottles of the year overall, LiveTrade said, followed by leading fine wine, the 6,450-a-bottle Lafite Rothschild 2014.
From Reuters ● Dec. 24, 2021
"I've had a more difficult time when it came to champagnes and wines."
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2021
A pint of ink could cost up to £1,300, making it pricier that some champagnes, its survey found.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2021
It is wise to look at the price of the champagnes, for instance, before giving an order.
From The Gourmet's Guide to Europe by Lieut.-Col. (Nathaniel) Newnham-Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
