INDEX:
1. a party
2. a formal or official party
3. to have a party
4. to go to a party
5. the people at a party
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CELEBRATE
↑ INVITE
↑ DRINK
↑ DANCE
↑ MEAL
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1. a party
▷ party /ˈpɑːʳti/ [countable noun]
a social event, especially in someone’s house, when people talk, drink, eat, and dance :
▪ We’re having a party at my house. Do you want to come?
▪ Did you go to Stella’s party?
invite somebody to a party
▪ How many people have they invited to the party?
surprise party
▪ We gave her a surprise party at a local bar.
a birthday/Halloween/Christmas/engagement etc party
to celebrate a birthday, Halloween etc
▪ Over a hundred children came to the annual Christmas party.
dinner party
a party at someone’s house in the evening, when people have a meal
▪ I gave my first dinner party last weekend.
office party
a party for people who work together
▪ Office parties are fun if you’re young, free, and single.
fancy dress party British /costume party American
a party where people wear strange, funny, or historical clothes
▪ You’re invited to a fancy dress party.
cocktail party
a fairly formal party in the evening, at which alcoholic drinks are served
▪ I went to a cocktail party in the lobby of the Ritz once.
▷ get-together /ˈget təˌgeðəʳ/ [countable noun]
an informal party, often to celebrate something :
▪ Shana’s picture won first prize, so we had a little get-together to celebrate.
▪ a big family get-together
▷ do /duː/ [countable noun] British spoken
a party :
a bit of a do
▪ A friend of mine’s having a bit of a do in town tomorrow night.
leaving do
for someone who is leaving the place where they work
▪ Are you going to Darren’s leaving do?
▷ shower /ˈʃaʊəʳ/ [countable noun] American
a party at which presents are given to a woman who is getting married or having a baby :
▪ We’re giving a shower for Beth next week.
▪ I want to thank both of you again for your beautiful shower gifts.
bridal/wedding shower
for a woman who is getting married
▪ What did you give Chris for her wedding shower?
baby shower
for a woman who is going to have a baby
▪ We didn’t play any of the usual games at the baby shower.
▷ bash /bæʃ/ [countable noun] informal
a big party :
▪ The band are flying out to Ibiza tonight for a huge four-day celebrity bash.
2. a formal or official party
▷ function /ˈfʌŋkʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a large formal or official party, usually for important people :
▪ The Lavender Room can be booked for functions or parties.
corporate function
for a company
▪ His specialist service is in constant demand for big corporate functions.
state function
official government party
▪ Part of her duties is attending official state functions.
▷ reception /rɪˈsepʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a large formal or official party, usually held to welcome someone or to celebrate something :
▪ On the second night, the captain always holds a formal reception for the crew and passengers.
▪ The pair were spotted together at a champagne reception at the Imperial Hotel.
attend a reception
▪ Two hundred guests attended an evening reception, held in honor of the Chancellor’s visit.
wedding reception
a big party held after a wedding
▪ The wedding reception will take place at the Lennox Hotel, starting at 3.30 pm.
3. to have a party
▷ have /hæv/ [transitive verb]
have a party/get-together/reception etc
▪ We used to have a big Christmas party every year.
▪ The couple had their wedding reception at the Museum of Modern Art.
▪ Mark, my boss, had a surprise party to welcome me home.
▷ throw a party /ˌθrəʊ ə ˈpɑːʳti/ [verb phrase]
to have a party at your home, often a big or expensive one, especially in order to celebrate something :
▪ He threw a huge party to celebrate making his first million dollars.
throw a party for
▪ The staff and patients threw a going-away party for Dr Rogers.
▪ The Krugers threw an impromptu cocktail party for him in the backyard.
▷ hold /həʊld/ [transitive verb]
hold a party/dinner/reception/function etc
to have a formal or official party :
▪ The anniversary dinner was held Wednesday night at the Washington Hilton.
▪ They are holding a fund-raising reception on Friday in the City Hall.
▷ give /gɪv/ [transitive verb]
give a party/dinner party/lunch party etc
to be the person who organizes a party :
▪ I’m giving a dinner party on Thursday night. Would you like to come?
▪ On Maggie’s last night in the house, Jo gave a little farewell party.
give a party for somebody
▪ The prospect of giving a dinner party for my boyfriend’s snobbish parents filled me with gloom.
▪ The last show of the tour was in Atlanta, and I decided to give a party for the singers and musicians.
▷ host /həʊst/ [transitive verb]
host a party/dinner party/reception etc
to be the person who organizes a formal party and officially welcomes the guests :
▪ Colette will be hosting a cocktail reception at 6.00 pm in the Grosvenor Suite.
▪ Last year, the city hosted a three-day gay pride festival.
▷ entertain /ˌentəʳˈteɪn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to give parties, especially fairly formal parties, for people who are not particularly close friends, for example business customers :
▪ I meet a lot of people, but I don’t entertain much myself.
▪ Being a sociable person, Eva loved entertaining.
▪ An important part of the job is entertaining business clients.
4. to go to a party
▷ go to /ˈgəʊ tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
▪ Are you going to the Christmas party?
▪ Over 150 people went to her 21st birthday party.
▷ attend /əˈtend/ [intransitive/transitive verb] especially written
to go to a formal party :
▪ The Duchess of York attended the charity reception, along with her two daughters.
▪ Some of the most glittering celebrities in the country are expected to attend.
▷ party /ˈpɑːʳti/ [intransitive verb] informal
to spend time enjoying yourself at a party or at parties, especially when this involves drinking a lot of alcohol, dancing etc :
▪ They partied till 7 in the morning.
▪ I could party all night long!
▷ partying /ˈpɑːʳtiɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the activity of drinking, dancing, meeting people etc at parties :
▪ My life was an endless round of photo shoots, interviews, and serious partying.
▪ Partying and having a good time was all she seemed interested in.
▪ Around about 2 am, the partying came to an abrupt halt.
5. the people at a party
▷ host /həʊst/ [countable noun]
the person who invites people to a party and provides them with food and drink :
▪ I was intrigued to learn that our Chinese host had spent many years in Chicago.
▷ hostess /ˈhəʊstɪs, ˈhəʊstəs/ [countable noun]
a woman who invites people to a party and provides them with food and drink :
▪ Pam, you’ve been a great hostess - thank you.
▷ guest /gest/ [countable noun]
someone who goes to a party :
▪ Lily poured her guest a glass of sherry.
▪ After the wedding, the couple staged a huge reception for over 250 guests.
guest of honour British /guest of honor American
the most important guest at a party
▪ This year’s guest of honour will be the novelist Margaret Attwood.
▷ gatecrasher also party crasher American /ˈgeɪtˌkræʃəʳ, ˈpɑːʳti ˌkræʃəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who goes to a party that they have not been invited to :
▪ Lee says the damage was caused by a couple of unknown gatecrashers.