nightcap
Americannoun
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Informal. an alcoholic drink taken at bedtime or at the end of a festive evening.
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a cap for the head, intended primarily to be worn in bed.
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Sports Informal. the last event of the program for the day, especially the second game of a doubleheader in baseball or the last race of the day in horse racing.
noun
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a bedtime drink, esp an alcoholic or hot one
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a soft cap formerly worn in bed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nightcap
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at night, cap 1
Vocabulary lists containing nightcap
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.
The train will get you back to Tokyo in time for a nightcap, perhaps at Studio Mule, a listening bar in Shibuya that specializes in natural wine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
The nightcap was a Black Sabbath reunion featuring guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025
Comment: The hottest team in the conference takes the court in T Mobile Arena for the nightcap and wastes little time laying waste to the first of several victims.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024
The gym will be cleared following the Chatsworth-LACES boys game, then reopened for the nightcap.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2024
The light from Mrs. Clarke’s candle entered a step before the woman herself; she wore her dressing gown and a frilly white nightcap.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
