an Italian vermouth
a cocktail of gin and vermouth
First recorded in 1885–90; perhaps alteration of Martinez (an earlier alternate name of the drink, of disputed origin), by back formation (taking it as plural), or by association with the vermouth manufacturer Martini, Sola & Co. (later Martini & Rossi)
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s refreshing in the way a dirty martini is refreshing.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
A Ramp Gibson, a riff on the martini, came with a pickled ramp garnish instead of a pickled onion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
A way of saying: Here you are sitting in a white-tablecloth restaurant where a martini and fries costs more than your phone bill, but here’s a jar of candy to snack on.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Plaid Cymru is represented by a mojito, the Conservatives by a raspberry daquiri, Reform by an espresso martini, the Greens by a pina colada, and the Lib Dems by an Irn-Bru vodka martini.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
He shakes it all up in a rusty martini shaker.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Aurélien Martini of the USM magistrates' union said that citizen vigilantes "risked disrupting genuine police investigations that might already be under way into a suspect".
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
"We spent a lot of time sitting in my office, writing on a whiteboard," Martini says.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 3, 2026
“Every organization has a different situation,” Martini said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
In a flashback, Martini is seen leaving his shabby Potter-owned apartment with a goat and a troop of kids for a suburban tract home that Bailey developed and sold to him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
It was the same face she’d make when Simone Martini was just about yelling across the room to Patrice Polinski, and Ms. W. would say, “Simone, use your inside voice. You are hurting my ears.”
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
Caprese martinis have started appearing on cocktail menus everywhere, joining the ongoing evolution of the martini from simple cocktail to culinary playground.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
They say one way to grab someone’s attention is with a startling piece of data, so get this: Four women were having espresso martinis in San Francisco this past fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
For me, martinis are not just a drink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
When asked if more action films lie ahead - maybe even a stint as the next James Bond - Khan replied: "No. I don't have the accent. And I don't like shaken martinis."
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
There are members of the crew reclining in velvet chairs, sipping neon-bright martinis with faraway eyes, and listening to a live band that plays smooth jazz.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
