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garden party

American  

noun

  1. a party given out of doors in a garden or yard.


garden party British  

noun

  1. a social gathering held in the grounds of a house, school, etc, usually with light refreshments

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of garden party

First recorded in 1865–70

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.

Devon's a disheveled, sweaty wreck storming the gates of the Kells’ orderly Elysium precisely when Michaela’s garden party is kicking off, the first of several she's planned for that weekend.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2025

Artists will be painting canvases in several gardens, and visitors wearing a “festive garden party hat” will be entered in the garden club’s hat contest.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2025

Across six 40-minute episodes, she moves about the town, from garden party to rave to locker room, as her “project” morphs from schoolwork to amateur police work.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024

King Charles III waves his top hat and shakes hands with guests at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Wednesday.

From BBC • May 8, 2024

At one garden party, he had an unexpected encounter with Robert Oppenheimer, who was in Geneva on other business.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik