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party definition

party (pärt′ē)

noun pl. parties -·ties

  1. a group of people working together to establish or promote particular theories or principles of government which they hold in common; esp., an organized political group which seeks to elect its candidates to office and thus to direct government policies
  2. any group of persons acting together; specif.,
    1. a group sent out on a task or mission a surveying party
    2. a group meeting together socially to accomplish a task a quilting party
    3. a group assembled for amusement or recreation a fishing party
  3. a gathering for social entertainment, or the entertainment itself, often of a specific nature a birthday party, cocktail party
  4. a person who participates or is concerned in an action, proceeding, plan, etc.: often with to to be a party to a conspiracy
  5. either of the persons or sides concerned in a legal matter
  6. Informal a person the party who telephoned

Etymology: ME partie < OFr < partir, to divide < L partiri < pars, part

adjective

  1. of or having to do with a political party a party leader
  2. for a social gathering party clothes

intransitive verb partied -·tied, partying -·ty·ing

  1. ☆ to attend or hold social parties
  2. Informal to take part in social activity, as at a party, in an unrestrained, often boisterous manner, usually while drinking alcoholic beverages, taking drugs, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms party idiom

law party definition - legal

party Synonyms

party

n.

  1. A social affair

    at-home, tea, luncheon, dinner party, dinner, cocktail hour, surprise party, house party, social, bee, reception, banquet, feast, affair, gathering, soirée, function, gala, fete, ball, recreation, fun, jollification, cheer, beguilement, accommodation, amusement, entertainment, festive occasion, carousal, diversion, performance, high tea, kaffee-klatsch, binge*, spree*, toot*, riot*, splurge*, tear*, shindig*, blowout*, bash*. *

  2. A group of people

    multitude, mob, company; see crowd 1, gathering.

  3. A political organization

    organized group, body, electorate, combine, combination, bloc, ring, junta, partisans, cabal; see also faction 1.

    Well-known political parties include --- historical: Guelph, Ghibelline, Jacobin, Girondist, Yorkist, Lancastrian, Puritan, Roundhead, Politique, Tory, Whig, Know-Nothing, Grangers, Greenback, People's, Mugwump, Prohibition, Bull Moose, Farmer-Labor, Progressive, Populist; twentieth-century: Republican, GOP*, Democratic, Libertarian, Liberal, Conservative, Labour, Popular Front, National Socialist, Nazi, Fascist, Falangist, Congress Party, Kuomintang, Comintern, Third International, Socialist, Communist, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Independent, Peace and Freedom, Black Panther, American Independent, Townsendite, Epic.

  4. An individual or group involved in legal proceedings

    litigant, participant, contractor, agent, plotter, confederate, cojuror, compurgator; see also defendant.

    Types of parties, sense 4, include: plaintiff, complainant, defendant, purchaser, buyer, seller, lessor, lessee, employer, employee, licenser, licensee.

  5. *A specified but unnamed individual

    party of the first part, party of the second part, etc.; someone, individual; see person 1, somebody.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

party Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • involve: For example, ACAS mediation may involve the third party neutral issuing a written recommendation.

Adjective modifier

  • third: We will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.

Modifies a noun

  • politics: They are more often than not turned off by party politics or even politics generally.

Noun used with modifier

  • birthday: Later she is invited to the birthday party of a wealthy spoilt child, Paula Brown.
party usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

party quotes

Oh, the holiness of always being the injured party. The historically oppressed can find not only sanctity but safety in the state of victimization.When access to a better life has been denied often enough, and successfully enough, one can use the rejection as an excuse to cease all efforts.

-Angelou, Maya originally MayaJohnson

To err is human; to blame it on the other party is politics.

-Anonymous

Harold Macmillan held his party together by not allowing his left wing to see what his right wing was doing.

-Baroness

party quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"party." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/party>

APA Style

party. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/party

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