party

Syllables: par·tyUK/ˈpɑːti//ˈpɑɹti/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

party noun: a person or group of people constituting one side in a legal proceeding, such as in a legal action or a contract.

Image: suyash. The original uploader was A suyash, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

party (plural parties)

A person or group of people constituting one side in a legal proceeding, such as in a legal action or a contract.
- The contract requires that the party of the first part pay the fee.
- if the Jury had found that the party slain had been of English race and nation, it had been adjudged felony1612, Sir John Davies, Discoverie of the True Causes why Ireland was never entirely subdued
(dated, humorous, slang, vulgar) A person; an individual.
- He is a queer party.
- `These young parties have a way of looking at one, sir,' he would say apologetically, `which I don't call respectable.'1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC
1. (dated, humorous, slang, vulgar) With to: someone who takes part in an action or affair; an accessory.
  - I can't possibly be (a) party to that kind of reckless behaviour.
(archaic, broadly) A group of people forming one side in a given dispute, contest, etc., or united in maintaining a cause, policy, or opinion in opposition to others; a faction.
- A mile back in the forest the tribe had heard the fierce challenge of the gorilla, and, as was his custom when any danger threatened, Kerchak called his people together, partly for mutual protection against a common enemy, since this gorilla might be but one of a party of several, and also to see...1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 6, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert]...
1. (archaic, broadly) A political group considered as a formal whole, usually organized on a national basis, which contests elections and aims to form or take part in a government; a political party.
  - The green party took 12% of the vote.
  - His party was campaigning successfuly.
2. (archaic, broadly) The Communist Party, especially as the sole political party of a communist state.
3. (archaic, broadly, dated) The feeling of solidarity with and support for one's political party; partisanship, especially in political matters.
4. (Internet, archaic, broadly, roleplaying games) Active player characters organized into a single group.
5. (archaic, broadly) A group of characters controlled by the player.
A detachment of troops selected for a particular service or duty.
- boarding party
- The settlers were attacked early next morning by a scouting party.
A group of people gathered together, especially temporarily, for a specific purpose such as travel or sport.
- We're expecting a large party from the London office.
- Do you have a table available for a party of four?
1. A social gathering, usually of invited guests, which typically involves eating, drinking, and entertainment and often held to celebrate a particular occasion.
  - I'm throwing a huge party for my 21st birthday.
  - So-So, tonight, tonight, let’s look at where that time actually goes, and let’s begin with the most obvious form of fundraising: fundraisers. These are usually shitty parties in D.C. bars, restaurants, or townhouses, and there are a lot of them! The Sunlight Foundation estimates that, in the last...2016 April 3, “Congressional Fundraising”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 7, John Oliver (actor), via HBO
2. A gathering of acquaintances so that one of them may offer items for sale to the rest of them.
  - Tupperware party
  - lingerie party
A small group of birds or mammals.
- Small parties of cattle were seen browsing in places where they must with with difficulty have kept their footing[.]1830 March 5, The Australian, Sydney, page 3, column 3
- A party of mynas, consisting of several males and females, once selected the top of a low terraced roof, just below my verandah, as a site for courting and quarrelling.1903, D.D. Cunningham, Some Indian Friends and Acquaintances, London: John Murray, page 28
(obsolete) A part or portion.
- And so the moost party of the castel that was falle doune thorugh that dolorous stroke laye vpon Pellam and balyn thre dayes.1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xv”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book II, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer...
(obsolete) A prospective partner or an offer of marriage.
(obsolete) A decision, resolution, agreement.

Verb

party (third-person singular simple present parties, present participle partying, simple past and past participle partied)

(intransitive) To celebrate at a party, to have fun, to enjoy oneself.
- We partied until the early hours.
(euphemistic, intransitive, slang) To take recreational drugs.
- “Miss, do you party?” the boy asked. “What?” Jennifer asked back. “Do you smoke? I'll get you some cheap. One American dollar equals forty Jamaican dollars. I'll get you as much of the stuff as you need.”2004, Daniel Nicholas Shields, Firewoman
(intransitive) To engage in flings, to have one-night stands, to sow one's wild oats.
(Internet, intransitive) To form a party (with).
- If you want to beat that monster, you should party with a healer.

Adverb

party (comparative more party, superlative most party)

(obsolete) Partly.

Adjective

party (not comparable)

(obsolete, except in compounds) Divided into parts of different tinctures, usually equal, and especially following the lines of one of the ordinaries.
- an escutcheon party per pale
(obsolete, rare, except in compounds) Shared by two properties and serving to divide them.
- Now converging, now diverging, these fences presented a striking irregularity of contour. No fence was party, nor any part of any fence.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC
Favoring one party; partisan.

party meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

party in Hindi

group of people forming one side in a given dispute, contest etc.: पक्ष pakṣ
law: particular side in a contract or legal action: पक्ष pakṣ
military: discrete detachment of troops: दल dal
social gathering: पार्टी pārṭī, दावत dāvat, जशन jaśan, प्रसंग prasaṅg

party in Marathi

party, faction, interest: बाजू bājū

party in Urdu

social gathering: پارْٹی pārṭī, دَعْوَت da'vat, مِہْمانی mihmānī, جَشْن jaśn

More languagesFewer languages

party in Bengali: পার্টি parṭi, পার্টি করা parṭi kora
party in Telugu: దావత్ dāvat, బలగము balagamu
party in Malayalam: പാർട്ടി pāṟṭṭi, കക്ഷി kakṣi
party in Kannada: ವಿನೋದ ಕೂಟ, ಸತ್ಕಾರ ಕೂಟ, ಗೋಷ್ಠಿ, ತಂಡ
party in Punjabi: ਧਿਰ dhir, ਪਾਰਟੀ pārṭī
party in Gujarati: પાર્ટી pārṭī
party in Odia: ଦଳ daḷa, ପାଖ pākha, ଅଂଶ aṁśa
party in Sanskrit: वर्ग várga, खण्ड khaṇḍa
party in Nepali: पार्टी, पार्टी गर्ने, पार्टी गर्न
party in Tagalog: pagdiriwang
party in Arabic: حِزْب ḥizb, طَرَف ṭaraf, حَفْلَة ḥafla, اِحْتِفَال iḥtifāl
party in Malay: pesta
party in Indonesian: pihak, partai, rombongan, pesta
party in Persian: مِهْمانی mehmâni, پارْتی pârti, جَشْن jašn
party in Thai: คู่ความ kûu-kwaam, คู่สัญญา kûu-sǎn-yaa, ภาคี paa-kii, คู่กรณี kûu-gɔɔ-rá-nii
party in Vietnamese: phe, phe đảng, bên, nhóm
party in Myanmar: ပါတီ pati

Examples of party in a sentence

"We'll see him on in Washington some day.[…]A strong man—a strong one; and a heedless." ¶ "Of what party is he?" she inquired, as though casually.1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, page 103:
In the freer political atmosphere before the 1989 repression, peasant protests against the Party in Henan were sometimes openly discussed.1996, John Gittings, “Peasants in Revolt”, in Real China: From Cannibalism to Karaoke, Pocket Books, published 1997, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 46:
'[…]I received it on the very morning of our intended party to Whitwell […]1811, [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas]...

All 40 example sentences with party

Synonyms of party

All synonyms of party

Forms of party

Noun
plural	parties
Verb
third-person singular present	parties
present participle	partying
past participle	partied
past	partied
Adverb
comparative	more party
superlative	most party

Past tense of party: partied

Plural of party: parties

Origin of 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). By surface analysis, part + -y (“noun suffix”).

From Middle English party, from Old French parti (“parted”), from Latin partītus (“parted”), past participle of partiō (“to divide”). More at part.

Words formed from party

Phrases with party

164 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with party

Questions about party

What does party mean?: Party means a person or group of people constituting one side in a legal proceeding, such as in a legal action or a contract.
What is party in Hindi?: Party in Hindi is पक्ष (pakṣ), दल (dal), पार्टी (pārṭī). See Party meaning in Hindi.
How do you use party in a sentence?: "We'll see him on in Washington some day.[…]A strong man—a strong one; and a heedless." ¶ "Of what party is he?" she inquired, as though casually.
What part of speech is party?: Party can be a noun, a verb, an adverb or an adjective.
How do you pronounce party?: Party is pronounced /ˈpɑːti/ (UK).
What is the plural of party?: The plural of party is parties.

Words near party in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-party.ogg, en-ca-party.ogg.

Cite this entry: “party.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/party. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.