hangover
Americannoun
-
the disagreeable physical aftereffects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking.
- Synonyms:
- nausea, qualm, sickishness, queasiness
-
something remaining behind from a former period or state of affairs.
-
any aftermath of or lingering effect from a distressing experience.
the post-Watergate hangover in Washington.
noun
-
the delayed aftereffects of drinking too much alcohol in a relatively short period of time, characterized by headache and sometimes nausea and dizziness
-
a person or thing left over from or influenced by a past age
Etymology
Origin of hangover
1890–95, noun use of verb phrase hang over
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.
A punishing hangover from pandemic-era overinvestment had already left the gaming industry reeling.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
If every day has been a party for chip stocks, tomorrow could bring a hangover.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Matching up with the Thunder again only exacerbated the emotional hangover.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
Many in the US have an instinctive hostility to what they see as a colonial hangover and the desire to maintain influence in Latin America.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Nowadays he’s got more than he ever had in his life, he has everything but breeding, he’s freed himself from every stigma, but he sits nursing his hangover of hatred....”
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
