(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.
This year, she's enlisted Boy George, who turns up to sing about "all the boys at the bar sipping cool champagne".
From BBC • May 8, 2026
Let’s raise a glass of champagne to you, your guests — and Uncle Sam.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026
Nearly all get delivered by McKellen’s Julian, waving a champagne coupe while monologuing about humidifiers, cancel culture and a doctor who smells like radishes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Prosecutors believe the fire started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to the ceiling in the bar's basement level, igniting the sound insulation foam.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
He did not want the champagne; her nails were digging into his arm.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
