party

American  

[pahr-tee] / ˈpɑr ti /

noun

• parties
  plural

1. a social gathering, as of invited guests at a private home, for conversation, refreshments, entertainment, etc..

   a cocktail party.

   Synonyms:

   assemblage, meeting

2. a group gathered for a special purpose or task.

   a fishing party; a search party.

3. a detachment, squad, or detail of troops assigned to perform some particular mission or service.

4. a group of persons with common purposes or opinions who support one side of a dispute, question, debate, etc.

   Synonyms:

   ring, coterie, circle, faction

5. a group of persons with common political opinions and purposes organized for gaining political influence and governmental control and for directing government policy.

   the Republican Party; the Democratic Party.

6. the system of taking sides on public or political questions or the like.

7. attachment or devotion to one side or faction; partisanship.

   to put considerations of party first.

8. Law.

   1. one of the litigants in a legal proceeding; a plaintiff or defendant in a suit.

   2. a signatory to a legal instrument.

   3. a person participating in or otherwise privy to a crime.

9. a person or group that participates in some action, affair, plan, etc.; participant.

   He was a party to the merger deal.

10. the person under consideration; a specific individual.

    The package was delivered to the wrong party.

11. a person or, usually, two or more persons together patronizing a restaurant, attending a social or cultural function, etc..

    The headwaiter asked how many were in our party; a party of 12 French physicists touring the labs; a party of one at the small table.

12. a person participating in a telephone conversation.

    I have your party on the line.

13. any occasion or activity likened to a social party, as specified; session.

    The couple in the next apartment are having their usual dish-throwing party.

14. something lively, stimulating, or bustling: That plastic water bottle is a germ party.

    It’s so delicious, it’s like a party in your mouth.

    That plastic water bottle is a germ party.

15. an advantageous or pleasurable situation or combination of circumstances of some duration and often of questionable character; period of content, license, exemption, etc..

    The police broke in and suddenly the party was over for the nation's most notorious gunman.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to a party or faction; partisan.

   party leaders.

2. of or for a social gathering.

   her new party dress.

3. being shared by or pertaining to two or more persons or things.

4. Heraldry. (of an escutcheon) having the field divided into a number of parts, usually two; parted.

verb (used without object)

Informal.

• parties,
  present (3rd person singular)
• partied,
  past participle,  past
• partying
  present participle

1. to go to or give parties, especially a series of parties.

2. to enjoy oneself thoroughly and without restraint; indulge in pleasure.

party British  

/ ˈpɑːtɪ /

noun

1. 1. a social gathering for pleasure, often held as a celebration

   2. ( as modifier )

      party spirit

   3. ( in combination )

      partygoer

2. a group of people associated in some activity

   a rescue party

3. 1. (often capital) a group of people organized together to further a common political aim, such as the election of its candidates to public office

   2. ( as modifier )

      party politics

4. the practice of taking sides on public issues

5. a person, esp one who participates in some activity such as entering into a contract

6. the person or persons taking part in legal proceedings, such as plaintiff or prosecutor

   a party to the action

7. informal a person

   he's an odd old party

8. to take part or become involved

---

verb

1. informal to celebrate; revel

adjective

1. heraldry (of a shield) divided vertically into two colours, metals, or furs

party Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing party

• life of the party

---

Usage

Party meaning “a specific individual” is old in the language, going back to the 15th century, and was formerly in common use. Today, it remains standard in limited senses, chiefly the legal, and is often used humorously or condescendingly: the party holding the balloon. The word person is the neutral and common term.

Synonym Usage

See company.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subparty
  noun
• interparty
  adjective
• nonparty
  adjective
• partyless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parties
  plural

Participles

• partying
  present
• partied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• party
  simple
• parties
  simple
• have partied
  perfect
• has partied
  perfect
• am partying
  progressive
• are partying
  progressive
• is partying
  progressive
• have been partying
  perfect progressive
• has been partying
  perfect progressive

Past

• partied
  simple
• had partied
  perfect
• was partying
  progressive
• were partying
  progressive
• had been partying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will party
  simple
• will have partied
  perfect
• will be partying
  progressive
• will have been partying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of party

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English partie, paarty, from Old French, noun use of feminine of parti, past participle of partir “to divide, separate, go away,” from Latin partīre “to share, divide”; see part

Explanation

If you have a party, you invite people who will likely get along and like each other. If you join a political party, you choose the one whose members share your views. Party comes from part, which means "a division in the whole." You can see this in political parties: the groups that make up the whole of voters in a nation. Party also means "person or group," which we are reminded of at restaurants when asked, "How many are in your party?" This is how party as in "a social gathering" or as a verb — the act of enjoying yourself at such a gathering — came about.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

party parties partied partying

He also began to build up his profile in parliament where he was seen as a liberal member of his party.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The downtown dance party featuring electronic music by John Summit this spring wasn’t the typical all-nighter for Carson Gillaspia, a content creator who enjoys going to festivals and raves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Labour supporter Stanley Chow, who created the image for Burnham's 2021 mayoral campaign in Greater Manchester, has claimed the party did not ask for permission to use the image.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

I asked Megan why marketers are acting like party promoters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

He would be coming to the party later, as indeed, it seemed, would all of Haarlem.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

It is not exactly typical for a British party conference, let alone that of one of the smaller parties, to elicit international condemnation.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The model is going through final evaluations, with early access available to select parties.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Five American women, aged 18 to 21, have joined the case as civil parties and were expected to testify by video link this week.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Vink, the Cornell senior, said she attended a few fraternity parties as a first-year student because so much of the school’s social life centers on them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Too old to go out and get candy, and too young to go to the kind of parties Hana goes to.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

They lived in makeshift apartments and partied in retrofitted warehouses.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

While Madonna partied in Corfu, singer Bieber took his family to the Peloponnese.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

The two have partied together, The Wall Street Journal has reported, and have traveled together with their families to Jackson Hole, Wyo., Spain, the Caribbean and Africa, according to court documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

"I have had a bloody wonderful life. I have found love, travelled, partied, had two amazing children, spent time with friends, family and done things I had never dreamed of."

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

Roz and the animals partied all night long.

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

Within my first year here, I also saw Guadalupe Rosales’ archival photos of fashionable Latina youth partying at the raves in East L.A., projected on the walls of the Vincent Price Museum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

But lately those tensions have been brought to a boil as a result of a postpandemic partying revival, increasingly sophisticated fake IDs and stricter enforcement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

To locate the immune cells that were "partying all night," as Macauley described them, the researchers also used a technique called light sheet microscopy.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Attendees were increasingly looking for experiences that were not just about partying but where they could "recharge and reconnect" with their wellbeing, organisers said.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

“Well, yeah, of course you’ve gotta go. I’m coming. Let’s go on Sunday morning. I’ll be tired from all-night prom partying, but whatever.”

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• association
• bloc
• body
• faction
• side
• union