cocktail hour
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of cocktail hour
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
Norman had already worked the room at the cocktail hour and during a break in the meal.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Top among them are the United States, where Americans on both coasts enjoy the cocktail hour staple -- but whose interior has yet to be seduced by the spritz.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Finding a revolutionary artist during cocktail hour at the opening gala of Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries was like shooting fish in a barrel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
A complex cider with enough of a tart kick to enliven any cocktail hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
After the bustle of arrival, everyone went to Clairmont for cocktail hour.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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.
