party

1 of 2

noun

par·​ty ˈpär-tē How to pronounce party (audio)
plural parties
1
: a person or group taking one side of a question, dispute, or contest
The parties in the lawsuit reached an agreement.
2
: a group of persons organized for the purpose of directing the policies of a government
political parties with opposing agendas
3
: a person or group participating in an action or affair
a mountain-climbing party
a party to the transaction
4
: a particular individual : person
an old party approaching 80
5
: a detail of soldiers
The infantry repulsed a landing party from the ship.
6
: a social gathering
a dinner party
a birthday party
also : the entertainment provided for it
party adjective

party

2 of 2

verb

partied; partying

intransitive verb

: to attend or give parties
broadly : revel sense 1
partyer noun
or less commonly partier

Examples of party in a Sentence

Noun We are having a party. a high school dance party Were you invited to her party? Our New Year's Eve party was a huge success. political parties with opposing agendas The senator is loyal to his party. the two parties in the marriage contract The parties in the lawsuit reached a settlement. Verb He spent the weekend partying with his friends.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Senate and House lawmakers from both parties reached middle ground in a conference committee this week. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Hollywood’s major studios have concluded their first week of talks Thursday evening, with both parties planning to resume negotiations for a new union contract on March 18. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 As the 2024 election cycle ramps up, the White House has sent a parade of visitors and surrogates through Arizona, which is considered one of the few states up for grabs by both parties in the upcoming presidential race. Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Others are centrists who have problems with both parties but are open to persuasion. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Dawson emailed French in December to ask him why the county does not hold joint primary elections, in which voters from either party can use any machine available to cast their ballots. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 When the moon slips in front of the sun on April 8, many places will hold eclipse viewing parties. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 While President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump emerged victorious from Super Tuesday, winning nearly all of their respective primaries, both faced substantial pockets of discontent within their parties. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Haffner’s bill faced some backlash from both parties but still received widespread support, passing the House on a vote of 112 to 30. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
Including cocktails, mocktails, smoothies, and more. St. Patrick's Day is the perfect excuse to party in the middle of March. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, others pointed out that the video should have been posted in February and that the initiative won’t stop spring breakers from coming to Miami to party. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 On the other, a bustling metropolis where the diminutive Niebla played baseball against adults on weekends and, a time or three, snuck over with a fake ID at 17 to party at a notorious club called The Forum. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Last year on her birthday, Brown spent the day on the opposite coast — partying with friends at TAO and Beauty & Essex in Los Angeles. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 India’s smallest state, Goa, is arguably its top beach destination, where long days of swimming and sunbathing turn into longer nights of partying on the sand. Margot Bigg, Travel + Leisure, 28 Jan. 2024 The Chiefs quarterback, who appeared on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning America, shared some details about his team’s afterparty celebrations in Las Vegas after several social media videos of the players partying went viral. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024 Because her mom is busy taking care of Max, Doris uses it as a chance to make new friends at school and invites them over to party in her empty house. MORE FROM FORBESIs 'The Hill' On Netflix A True Story? Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 They are split into teams and play a full ninety-minute match, the winners of which will get to party with Charli that evening. Hayley Tillett, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'party.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English partie part, party, from Anglo-French, from partir to divide — more at part

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of party was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near party

Cite this Entry

“Party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/party. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

party

1 of 2 noun
par·​ty ˈpärt-ē How to pronounce party (audio)
plural parties
1
: one side in a dispute or contest
the parties to a lawsuit
2
: a group of persons organized to influence or direct the policies of a government
3
: a person or group that takes part with others in an action or affair
a mountain-climbing party
4
: a particular individual : person
get the right party on the telephone
5
: a detail of soldiers
6
: a social gathering
also : entertainment for such a gathering
party adjective

party

2 of 2 verb
partied; partying
: to give or attend parties

Legal Definition

party

noun
par·​ty
plural parties
1
a
: one (as a person, group, or entity) constituting alone or with others one of the sides of a proceeding, transaction, or agreement
the parties to a contract
a person who signed the instrument as a party to the instrumentUniform Commercial Code
accommodated party
: a party to an instrument for whose benefit an accommodation party signs and incurs liability on the instrument : a party for whose benefit an accommodation is made
accommodation party
: a party who signs and thereby incurs liability on an instrument that is issued for value and given for the benefit of an accommodated party
secured party
: a party holding a security interest in another's property
third party
: a person other than the principals insurance against injury to a third party
b
: one (as an individual, firm, or corporation) that constitutes the plaintiff or defendant in an action
also : one so involved in the prosecution or defense of a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding as to be bound or substantially affected by the decision or judgment therein
adverse party
: a party to an action who is on the opposing side
specifically : a party to a finally decided action whose interests would be served by having the judgment upheld on appeal and who is entitled to notice of an appeal
aggrieved party
: a party with a legally recognized interest that is injuriously affected especially by an act of a judicial or quasi-judicial body and that confers standing to appeal

called also aggrieved person, party aggrieved

indispensable party
: a party whose rights are so connected with the claims being litigated in an action that no judgment can be rendered without affecting or impairing those rights, no complete disposition of the action can be made without the party's joinder, and whose nonjoinder will result in the dismissal of an action compare necessary party in this entry

Note: Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 19 provides the courts with discretion in determining whether the absence of a party requires dismissal of an action, replacing an older and more rigid basis for determination. The rule states that “the court must determine whether, in equity and good conscience, the action should proceed among the existing parties or should be dismissed.”

innocent party
: a party having no fault in or responsibility for the situation for which judicial relief is sought : a party who comes into court with clean hands
necessary party
: a party whose interests are so connected with an action that he or she should be joined in order to fully determine the controversy but whose nonjoinder because of a valid excuse will not result in dismissal compare indispensable party in this entry
nominal party
: a party who has no actual stake in the outcome of litigation and whose inclusion as a party is solely for the purpose of conforming with procedural rules
party aggrieved
: aggrieved party in this entry
party in interest
: a person whose rights are or will be affected by an action taken especially by a government or judicial body
especially : a person whose pecuniary interests are affected by a bankruptcy proceeding
: real party in interest in this entry
proper party
: a party whose interests are likely to be affected by litigation and whose inclusion in the litigation is preferable but not essential
real party in interest
: a party who according to the applicable law is entitled to enforce the right that forms the basis of the claim regardless of who will actually benefit by the outcome

Note: Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 17(a) requires that “an action must be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest.”

third party
: a person who is not a party to an action but who is or may be liable to the defendant in the action for all or part of the plaintiff's claim and against whom the defendant may bring a third-party complaint
: a person who is not a party to an action but who is or may be liable to the plaintiff in the action for all or part of a counterclaim and against whom the plaintiff may bring a third-party complaint see also third-party complaint
2
: a group of persons usually sharing a set of political ideals who are organized for the purpose of directing the policies of a government

More from Merriam-Webster on party

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!