(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.
Tilley said the portrait took about nine months to complete, with sittings typically lasting from early morning until mid-afternoon several days a week – but including long restaurant lunches with champagne.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Briefly we hope that Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira are shaking up the superhero format like a bottle of gas-station champagne.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
For now, champagne corks ought to be popping in Islamabad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 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
Even the champagne flutes are a deep cobalt-blue glass rather than clear, and the staff wears green rather than black.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The setlist lent heavily on tracks from the album, including Some Might Say and Champagne Supernova.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Minutes after arriving, a server named Juan approached and asked if I wanted the Champagne and caviar service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
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 added that some investors are looking to replace traditional 60% stocks and 40% fixed income portfolios with ones that have 60% equities, 20% bonds and 20% in buffered ETFs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Champagne bubbles over my fingers, and I laugh.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
"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
This is led by France's champagnes, where the vast majority of those produced have always been non-vintage.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
According to The American Menu archives, a 1903 Café Martin menu advertised 69 champagnes; it was aggressively promoted at late-night suppers and celebrations.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2022
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
Their wines, though monstrously dear, are very fair; indeed, of the champagnes at least you may make certain by looking at the corks; but the food!
From Some Private Views by Payn, James
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.
