What does "party" mean?

1. (social event) a social meeting where people enjoy themselves by eating, drinking, and talking. 2. (political organisation) an organised group of people with similar political aims who try to get elected. 3. (legal side) a person or group of people involved in a legal case or a contract. 4. (small group) a small group of people doing something together, like travelling or working. 5. (an individual) a person. 6. (to celebrate) to enjoy yourself at a party or social event. 7. (partisan) supporting one political group very strongly.

party — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01social event

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a social meeting where people enjoy themselves by eating, drinking, and talking.

n. a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment.

“We are having a small party at our house to celebrate his birthday.”

“The company hosted an elaborate year-end party to reward the staff for their exceptional performance during the merger.”

Synonyms

celebration gathering bash

02political organisation

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Politics

n. an organised group of people with similar political aims who try to get elected.

n. an organised political group that seeks to influence or control government policy, usually by nominating candidates and competing in elections.

“She decided to join the Green Party because she cares about the environment.”

“The ruling party faced significant opposition after proposing a controversial tax reform that affected middle-income households.”

Synonyms

faction bloc

03legal side

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law Formal

n. a person or group of people involved in a legal case or a contract.

n. a person or entity constituting one of the sides in a legal proceeding, contract, or transaction.

“Both parties must sign the contract before the sale is final.”

“The mediator requested that all parties involved in the dispute attend the session to reach a fair settlement.”

Synonyms

participantlitigant

04small group

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a small group of people doing something together, like travelling or working.

n. a small group of people gathered for a specific task, mission, or excursion.

“A search party was sent out to find the hikers who got lost in the woods.”

“The landing party secured the perimeter while the rest of the battalion prepared to disembark from the transport ships.”

Synonyms

group team detachment

05an individual

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Humorous · Archaic

n. a person.

n. a person or individual; often used with a descriptive adjective.

“He is a strange old party who lives in the house on the hill.”

“The inspector described the suspect as a 'suspicious party' who had been loitering near the bank for several hours.”

Synonyms

person individual character

06to celebrate

A2 · Elementary Informal

v. to enjoy yourself at a party or social event.

v. to attend or hold a party; to enjoy oneself boisterously.

“They stayed out late to party after the final exam was over.”

“The students spent the entire weekend partying to mark the end of the academic year before heading home for the summer.”

Synonyms

celebrate revel

07partisan

C1 · Advanced Politics Formal

adj. supporting one political group very strongly.

adj. relating to or supporting a specific political party; biased toward one faction.

“The newspaper was accused of following the party line too closely.”

“The senator's party loyalty was tested when he was asked to vote against a bill that benefited his home state.”

Synonyms

partisan biased

Antonyms

neutral impartial

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “party” in context.

01. working party

From Middle English party, partye, partie, from Anglo-Norman partie, from Old French partie (“side, part; portion, share; separation, division”, literally “that which is divided”), noun use of feminine of past participle of Old French partir (“to divide, separate”), from Latin partire (“to share, part, distribute, divide”), from pars (“a part, piece, a share”); see also part. First attested in c. 1300. Doublet of partita. The sense of communist party of a communist state derives Russian партия (partija), short for Коммунистическая партия (Kommunističeskaja partija).