(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.
having the color of champagne.
luxurious or expensive.
champagne tastes.
(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
First recorded in 1655–65; after Champagne
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We got a lot of champagne and some flute glasses from my boss at work, which were nice, but we have a lot of that so it will most likely get regifted," she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Producers of Loire Valley whites send 45 percent of their exports to the United States and Beaujolais sends 30 percent, whereas just 16 percent of champagne exports go to the US market.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
JC: Think about it: The world of sports has entered a bizarre new dimension, one in which formerly sad-sack teams are now the ones downing champagne and getting showered in confetti.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
But those are champagne problems, and on a Glamazonian Express, champagne is complimentary.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Abuela ordered champagne and bocaditos of every kind.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Shredded rotisserie chicken, swiped with Boursin and tucked into the puff pastry you “always keep in the freezer” in case someone drops by with Champagne?
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Champagne and cognac accounted for 40 percent of the export values, at around 600 million euros each.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
There was reportedly Champagne flowing in the dressing room after Sunday’s matinee, but the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told the BBC in April that the attention on Mythos was warranted, in part, because "it's the unknown, unknown".
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
The Italians could purchase enough pepper in Syria to carry with them to the next Champagne fair.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
"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
Italian winery owner Riccardo Pasqua says it was enjoying the very best non-vintage champagnes that inspired him to make Italy's first multi-year still white wine.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
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
At the Vienna Exhibition of 1873 and the London Exhibition of 1874 the collection of champagnes exhibited by Roper frères met with favourable recognition from the international juries.
From Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines by Vizetelly, Henry
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.
