junket
Americannoun
-
a sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
-
a pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
-
a trip, as by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.
verb (used without object)
-
junkets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
junketed,
past participle, past
-
junketing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
junkets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
junketed,
past participle, past
-
junketing
present participle
noun
-
an excursion, esp one made for pleasure at public expense by a public official or committee
-
a sweet dessert made of flavoured milk set to a curd with rennet
-
a feast or festive occasion
verb
-
(intr) (of a public official, committee, etc) to go on a junket
-
to have or entertain with a feast or festive gathering
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
junketsimple
-
junketssimple
-
have junketedperfect
-
has junketedperfect
-
am junketingprogressive
-
are junketingprogressive
-
is junketingprogressive
-
have been junketingperfect progressive
-
has been junketingperfect progressive
Past
-
junketedsimple
-
had junketedperfect
-
was junketingprogressive
-
were junketingprogressive
-
had been junketingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of junket
1350–1400; Middle English jonket < Old French (dial.) jonquette rush basket, equivalent to jonc (< Latin juncus reed) + -ette -ette
Explanation
A junket is a pleasure trip, often funded by someone else. You've probably heard of a politician taking a junket to a fancy resort, all paid for using taxpayer money. A junket can be used as a gift to try to get something from the person going on the trip. If you're a travel reporter and resort owners pay for your junket to check out their new property in Hawaii, you might feel like you owe them a good review. A junket isn't always devious: the word can simply mean a journey taken for pleasure, like when you take your boat out and sail down the coast for a couple days.
Vocabulary lists containing junket
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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.
See Examples For:
Ken Bensinger, a New York Times reporter who covers media and politics, wrote about this junket of Loomer’s.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
In March 2024, several dozen insurance agents from the U.S. took part in a three-day junket in and around Medellín, Colombia, where Regan lived and worked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
He tells reporters as much during a mini junket he organizes for himself over breakfast at the Ritz London, where Marty puts himself up despite having no way to pay for such luxurious accommodations.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2025
He recalled how once during a series of five-minute junket interviews, one journalist compared being an actor to being a liar and it sent Pearce into an existential tailspin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024
“Not the silly ass who managed to get himself drowned yesterday?” said Basil through a mouthful of hazelnut junket.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Costs from hiring, junkets and pro-sport endorsements to build the retail operation added up and drew ire from other divisions, the current and former employees said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Press junkets and red carpet interviews for superhero movies have been condensed to five-minute timeslots and two-question interviews, respectively — and that’s if a journalist is lucky.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2025
Mihalka envisions the space being used for events for partners, sponsors and advertisers as well as press junkets for new product launches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
“At the first X Factor press junkets, journalists were saying, ‘Why are you here?
From BBC ● May 11, 2024
Holloa! old Eester;" shouted the well-known voice of her husband, from the plain beneath; "ar' you keeping your junkets, while we are finding you in venison and buffaloe beef?
From The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper
With Whelan and the late Dictator Anastasio Somoza it was "Tommy" and "Tacho" from the start, and the friendship deepened as they partied, played poker, junketed around the country together.
From Time Magazine Archive
He did a bit of loafing, broke out his bow and arrow for archery practice, gave a few parties, junketed off to Manhattan.
From Time Magazine Archive
He has joked, junketed to race tracks, sat up all night at wild parties, entertained Hollywood and ignored the city's problems.
From Time Magazine Archive
Robert Lansing attended the Paris peace conference in 1919, Charles Evans Hughes junketed to London in 1924 with the American Bar Association and Frank Billings Kellogg went to Cuba for the 1928 Pan-American Conference.
From Time Magazine Archive
I have perseveringly frisked in the high places of iniquity, I have junketed with all evil gods, and the utmost they could pretend to offer any of their servitors was a spasm.
From Gallantry Dizain des Fetes Galantes by James Branch Cabell
On a modern marketing budget, that would barely cover the junketing cast's travel and minibar expenses, but at the time, the advertising reach was, as The Times wrote in 1975, "a promotion man's dream."
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2015
It is above all serious, and tries to stay away from the flim-flam of artworld tourism and junketing.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 11, 2012
She did all the things that rich girls were supposed to do: attending finishing school, making a glittering debut and junketing to Europe.
From Time Magazine Archive
Serious buyers from more than 100 nations and squadrons of national officials, including 58 junketing U.S.
From Time Magazine Archive
On the edge of the highway, to the sound of rebecks, viols, and bagpipes, more than one pilgrim was holding a frying feast and junketing of bruinbier.
From The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume I (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles Th?odore Henri de Coster
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