nightcap

[nahyt-kap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nightcap ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. an alcoholic drink taken at bedtime or at the end of a festive evening.

a cap for the head, intended primarily to be worn in bed.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of nightcap

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at night, cap¹

Related formsnight·capped, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nightcap

That night, about a week before Thanksgiving, Salahi invited her to his hotel room for a nightcap.
Tareq Salahi’s New Troubles|Diane Dimond|March 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Elaine was always happy to see me, although she didn't bother to hide her irritation when I'd come for a nightcap.
Farewell to New York's Legendary Restaurateur|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He had a red handkerchief tied about his head for a nightcap; and he was sound asleep, with his mouth wide open.
Nelly's Silver Mine|Helen Hunt Jackson
Long curls, escaping from the nightcap which imprisons his blond head, fall over his forehead.
Library of the World's Best literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 12|Various

The old woman was at it in a nightcap, and I think the stone must have touched her head.
Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles|Mrs. Henry Wood
Peckaby in his shirt and nightcap, opened the door, and she bounded in.
Verner's Pride|Mrs. Henry Wood
Then I saw the whole of them crowd into the door for their nightcap, and that was all I waited for.
Red Men and White|Owen Wister

British Dictionary definitions for nightcap

nightcap

noun

a bedtime drink, esp an alcoholic or hot one

a soft cap formerly worn in bed

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

Word Origin and History for nightcap

nightcap

also night-cap, late 14c., "covering for the head, worn in bed," from night + cap (n.). In the alcoholic sense, it is attested from 1818. American English sense of "final event in a sporting contest" (especially the second game of a baseball double-header) is from 1939.

nightcap

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of nightcap

Examples from the Web for nightcap

nightcap

noun

nightcap