PARTY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does party mean? 

• PARTY (noun)
  The noun PARTY has 5 senses:

1. an organization to gain political power

2. a group of people gathered together for pleasure

3. a band of people associated temporarily in some activity

4. an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment

5. a person involved in legal proceedings

  Familiarity information: PARTY used as a noun is common.

• PARTY (verb)
  The verb PARTY has 1 sense:

1. have or participate in a party

  Familiarity information: PARTY used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PARTY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An organization to gain political power

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

party; political party

Context example:

in 1992 Perot tried to organize a third party at the national level

Hypernyms ("party" is a kind of...):

organisation; organization (a group of people who work together)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "party"):

Liberal Party (a political party in Australia, Canada, and other nations, and formerly in Great Britain)

Liberty Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1839 to oppose the practice of slavery; merged with the Free Soil Party in 1848)

Militant Tendency (a Trotskyist political organization in Great Britain set up in 1964 inside the Labour Party)

National Socialist German Workers' Party; Nazi Party (the political party founded in Germany in 1919 and brought to power by Hitler in 1933)

People's Party; Populist Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1891 to advocate currency expansion and state control of railroads)

Bull Moose Party; Progressive Party (a former political party in the United States; founded by Theodore Roosevelt during the presidential campaign of 1912; its emblem was a picture of a bull moose)

Prohibition Party (a political party in the United States; formed in 1869 to oppose the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages)

GOP; Republican Party (the younger of two major political parties in the United States; GOP is an acronym for grand old party)

Social Democratic Party (a political party in Germany and Britain (and elsewhere) founded in late 19th century; originally Marxist; now advocates the gradual transformation of capitalism into democratic socialism)

Socialist Labor Party (a political party in the United States; formed in 1874 to advocate the peaceful introduction of socialism)

Socialist Party (a political party in the United States formed in 1900 to advocate socialism)

Dixiecrats; States' Rights Democratic Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1948 by Democrats from southern states in order to oppose to the candidacy of Harry S Truman)

war party (a political party that supports a war)

Whig Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1834 in opposition to the Democratic Party; advocated a loose interpretation of the Constitution and high protective tariffs)

third party (a political party organized in opposition to the major parties in a two-party system)

Opposition (the major political party opposed to the party in office and prepared to replace it if elected)

Green Party (an environmentalist political party)

labor party; labour party (a left-of-center political party formed to represent the interest of ordinary working people)

Liberal Democrat Party (a political party in Great Britain; formerly the Liberal Party; advocates reforms and improvement of the conditions of working people)

American Labor Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1936 in New York when labor and liberals bolted the Democratic Party)

American Party; Know-Nothing Party (a former political party in the United States; active in the 1850s to keep power out of the hands of immigrants and Roman Catholics)

Anti-Masonic Party (a former political party in the United States; founded in 1825 in opposition to Freemasonry in public affairs)

Black Panthers (a militant Black political party founded in 1965 to end political dominance by Whites)

Communist Party (a political party that actively advocates a communist form of government; in Communist countries it is the sole political party of the state)

Conservative Party (a political party (especially in Great Britain or Australia) that believes in the importance of a capitalist economy with private ownership rather than state control)

Constitutional Union Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1859 by former Whigs who hoped to preserve the Union)

Democratic Party (the older of two major political parties in the United States)

Democratic-Republican Party (a former major political party in the United States in the early 19th century; opposed the old Federalist party; favored a strict interpretation of the constitution in order to limit the powers of the federal government)

Farmer-Labor Party (a former minor political party in the United States in the early 20th century)

American Federalist Party; Federal Party; Federalist Party (a major political party in the United States in the early 19th century; founded by Alexander Hamilton; favored a strong centralized government)

Free Soil Party (a former political party in the United States; formed in 1848 to oppose the extension of slavery into the territories; merged with the Liberty Party in 1848)

Gironde (the French moderate political party that was in power (1791-1793) during the French Revolution)

Greenback Party (a former political party in the United States; organized in 1874; opposed any reduction in the amount of paper money in circulation)

Guomindang; Kuomintang (the political party founded in 1911 by Sun Yat-sen; it governed China under Chiang Kai-shek from 1928 until 1949 when the Communists took power and subsequently was the official ruling party of Taiwan)

Holonyms ("party" is a member of...):

form of government; political system (the members of a social organization who are in power)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A group of people gathered together for pleasure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

she joined the party after dinner

Hypernyms ("party" is a kind of...):

social affair; social gathering (a gathering for the purpose of promoting fellowship)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "party"):

hen party (a party for women only)

reunion (a party of former associates who have come together again)

wedding; wedding party (a party of people at a wedding)

mixer; sociable; social (a party of people assembled to promote sociability and communal activity)

slumber party (an overnight party of girls who dress in nightclothes and pass the night talking)

smoker; stag party (a party for men only (or one considered suitable for men only))

shower (a party of friends assembled to present gifts (usually of a specified kind) to a person)

fete champetre; garden party; lawn party (a party of people assembled for social interaction out of doors)

housewarming (a party of people assembled to celebrate moving into a new home)

open house (an informal party of people with hospitality for all comers)

soiree (a party of people assembled in the evening (usually at a private house))

reception (a formal party of people; as after a wedding)

dinner; dinner party (a party of people assembled to have dinner together)

mask; masque; masquerade; masquerade party (a party of guests wearing costumes and masks)

dance (a party of people assembled for dancing)

shindig; shindy (a large and noisy party of people)

Derivation:

party (have or participate in a party)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A band of people associated temporarily in some activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

company; party

Context example:

the company of cooks walked into the kitchen

Hypernyms ("party" is a kind of...):

band; circle; lot; set (an unofficial association of people or groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "party"):

fatigue party (a group of soldiers on fatigue duty)

war party (a band of warriors who raid or fight an enemy (used especially of Native Americans))

stretcher party (a party of people with stretchers to carry an injured person)

search party (a party of people to search for someone)

rescue party (a party of rescuers)

party to the action; party to the transaction (a party of people taking a role in legal proceedings)

landing party (a part of a ship's company organized for special duties ashore)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day

Hypernyms ("party" is a kind of...):

affair; function; occasion; social function; social occasion (a vaguely specified social event)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "party"):

birthday party (a party held on the anniversary of someone's birth)

bash; brawl; do (an uproarious party)

whist drive (a progressive whist party)

tea party (a party at which tea is served)

jolly (a happy party)

house party (a party lasting over one or more nights at a large house)

feast; fete; fiesta (an elaborate party (often outdoors))

dance (a party for social dancing)

cocktail party (an afternoon party at which cocktails are served)

ceilidh (an informal social gathering at which there is Scottish or Irish folk music and singing and folk dancing and story telling)

bun-fight; bunfight ((Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion)

Derivation:

party (have or participate in a party)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A person involved in legal proceedings

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

the party of the first part

Hypernyms ("party" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "party"):

assignee ((law) the party to whom something is assigned (e.g., someone to whom a right or property is legally transferred))

assignor ((law) the party who makes an assignment)

contractor ((law) a party to a contract)

intervenor ((law) a party who interposes in a pending proceeding)

Jane Doe (an unknown or fictitious woman who is a party to legal proceedings)

John Doe (an unknown or fictitious man who is a party to legal proceedings)

litigant; litigator ((law) a party to a lawsuit; someone involved in litigation)

reversioner ((law) a party who is entitled to an estate in reversion)

Richard Roe (an unknown or fictitious party to legal proceedings)

tort-feasor; tortfeasor (a party who has committed a tort)

vouchee ((law) a person called into court to defend a title)

• PARTY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they party    ... he / she / it parties   
Past simple: partied   
Past participle: partied   
-ing form: partying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Have or participate in a party

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

The students were partying all night before the exam

Hypernyms (to "party" is one way to...):

celebrate; fete (have a celebration)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "party"):

rave (participate in an all-night techno dance party)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

party (an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment)

party (a group of people gathered together for pleasure)

 Context examples 

If you are already married, your partner may give you a wonderful party and invite many of your friends.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Now, for instance, it was reckoned a remarkable thing, at the last party in my rooms, that upon an average we cleared about five pints a head.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Toto did not like this addition to the party at first.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

There had been a time, when of all the large party now filling the drawing-room at Uppercross, they would have found it most difficult to cease to speak to one another.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

On the other hand, processed foods such as pizzas are generally associated with their function or the context in which they are eaten such as parties or picnics.

(Our Weight Tells How We Assess Food, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

“James,” said Mrs. Rushworth to her son, “I believe the wilderness will be new to all the party. The Miss Bertrams have never seen the wilderness yet.”

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

At last, however, the party was made up.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

She does not depend upon his coming so much as I do: but she does not know the parties so well as I do.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

After having landed, they proceeded to search the country, parties going in different directions among the woods and vines.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)