nightcap

[ nahyt-kap ]

/ ˈnaɪtˌkæp /

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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.

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Origin of nightcap

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

OTHER WORDS FROM nightcap

nightcapped, adjective

Words nearby nightcap

night and day, night-blind, night blindness, night-blooming cereus, night bolt, nightcap, nightclothes, nightclub, night coach, night court, night crawler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nightcap in a sentence

Alcohol also increases your likelihood of a noisy night, so try to avoid a nightcap before bed.
How to stop snoring and spread the gift of better sleep|empire|August 15, 2021|Popular-Science
In the nightcap, however, the chant was audible in the first half and grew more intense in the second.
With Mexico in Concacaf Nations League, soccer again confronts homophobic slur at matches|Steven Goff|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
In the nightcap, the Nats’ bullpen inherited a 2-1 lead with nine outs needed but imploded for a 6-2 loss.
For the Nats to have hope, they need more from Soto, Strasburg and Corbin|Thomas M. Boswell|May 31, 2021|Washington Post
Hernandez, a 33-year-old rookie who defected from Cuba in 2015, pinch-hit in the nightcap.
For Nationals’ replacement players, a rare and weird opportunity|Jesse Dougherty|April 8, 2021|Washington Post

Yet the nightcap provided an even more spot-on product as one of the season’s best bounce-back stories continued.
College football winners and losers for Week 12: Northwestern on track for Big Ten title game|Patrick Stevens|November 22, 2020|Washington Post
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
Mrs. Biggs opened her window cautiously, and thrust out her head, minus her false hair, and enveloped in a cotton nightcap.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Only first exchange that nightcap for some more appropriate covering, or we shall be taken for madmen.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
When the guests are well emptied of theology, everyone takes his nightcap—the signal for breaking up.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
The nightcap is generally the little whisky left in the decanter; to do it honour, it is taken neat.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
He wore a nightcap with a tassel, and for days never left his room, occasionally appearing in a faded peacock-blue dressing-gown.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for nightcap

nightcap

/ (ˈnaɪtˌkæp) /

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

nightcap

Origin of nightcap

OTHER WORDS FROM nightcap

Words nearby nightcap

Words related to nightcap

How to use nightcap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nightcap