Party definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

affair, celebration, festivity, fete, function, gala, occasion, company, corps, troop, troupe, bloc

More Synonyms»

Nearby Entries

Party - 9 dictionary results

Sponsored Links Top Wedding DJ
5,000 Happy Clients, 60,000 Songs Great Rates, Free Instant Quote
CaliforniaDJs.com

Los Angeles Party Bus
Use Our Chauffeured Luxury Bus To Attend Your Next Party Or Event
www.MinutemanParking.com

Online Party Supply Store
Limited Time Only: Spend $59 & Get Free Shipping! Buy Now & Save.
www.OrientalTrading.com/PartySupply

par⋅ty

[pahr-tee]

noun, plural -ties, adjective, verb, -tied, -ty⋅ing.

–noun

1.	a social gathering, as of invited guests at a private home, for conversation, refreshments, entertainment, etc.: a cocktail party.

2.	a group gathered for a special purpose or task: a fishing party; a search party.

3.	a detachment, squad, or detail of troops assigned to perform some particular mission or service.

4.	a group of persons with common purposes or opinions who support one side of a dispute, question, debate, etc.

5.	a group of persons with common political opinions and purposes organized for gaining political influence and governmental control and for directing government policy: the Republican party; the Democratic party.

6.	the system of taking sides on public or political questions or the like.

7.	attachment or devotion to one side or faction; partisanship: to put considerations of party first.

Law.

a.	one of the litigants in a legal proceeding; a plaintiff or defendant in a suit.

b.	a signatory to a legal instrument.

c.	a person participating in or otherwise privy to a crime.

9.	a person or group that participates in some action, affair, plan, etc.; participant: He was a party to the merger deal.

10.	the person under consideration; a specific individual: Look at the party in the green velvet shorts.

11.	a person or, usually, two or more persons together patronizing a restaurant, attending a social or cultural function, etc.: The headwaiter asked how many were in our party; a party of 12 French physicists touring the labs; a party of one at the small table.

12.	a person participating in a telephone conversation: I have your party on the line.

13.	any occasion or activity likened to a social party, as specified; session: The couple in the next apartment are having their usual dish-throwing party.

14.	an advantageous or pleasurable situation or combination of circumstances of some duration and often of questionable character; period of content, license, exemption, etc.: The police broke in and suddenly the party was over for the nation's most notorious gunman.

–adjective

15.	of or pertaining to a party or faction; partisan: party leaders.

16.	of or for a social gathering: her new party dress.

17.	being shared by or pertaining to two or more persons or things.

18.	Heraldry. (of an escutcheon) having the field divided into a number of parts, usually two; parted.

–verb (used without object) Informal.

19.	to go to or give parties, esp. a series of parties.

20.	to enjoy oneself thoroughly and without restraint; indulge in pleasure.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME partie < OF, n. use of fem. of parti, ptp. of partir < L partīre to share. See part

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Cite This Source

Language Translation for : Party

Spanish:

fiesta, reunión,

German:

die Party; Party-…,

Japanese:

パーティー

View 30 other languages »

Sponsored Links Top Wedding DJ
5,000 Happy Clients, 60,000 Songs Great Rates, Free Instant Quote
CaliforniaDJs.com

Los Angeles Party Bus
Use Our Chauffeured Luxury Bus To Attend Your Next Party Or Event
www.MinutemanParking.com

Online Party Supply Store
Limited Time Only: Spend $59 & Get Free Shipping! Buy Now & Save.
www.OrientalTrading.com/PartySupply

par·ty (pär'tē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. par·ties

1. A social gathering especially for pleasure or amusement: a cocktail party.
2. A group of people who have gathered to participate in an activity. See Synonyms at band².
3. A person or group involved in an enterprise; a participant or an accessory: I refuse to be a party to your silly scheme.
4. Law A person or group involved in a legal proceeding as a litigant.
5. A subscriber to a telephone party line.
6. A person using a telephone.
7. An act of sexual intercourse.
8. An orgy.
An established political group organized to promote and support its principles and candidates for public office.
1. A person or group involved in an enterprise; a participant or an accessory: I refuse to be a party to your silly scheme.
2. Law A person or group involved in a legal proceeding as a litigant.
3. A subscriber to a telephone party line.
4. A person using a telephone.
5. An act of sexual intercourse.
6. An orgy.
1. A subscriber to a telephone party line.
2. A person using a telephone.
3. An act of sexual intercourse.
4. An orgy.
A person: "And though Grainger was a spry old party, such steps couldn't be his" (Anthony Hyde).
A selected group of soldiers: a raiding party.
Slang
1. An act of sexual intercourse.
2. An orgy.

adj.

Of, relating to, or participating in an established political organization: party members; party politics.
Suitable for use at a social gathering: party dresses; a party hat.
Characteristic of a pleasurable social gathering: a party atmosphere.

intr.v. par·tied, par·ty·ing, par·ties
To celebrate or carouse at or as if at a party: That night we partied until dawn.

[Middle English partie, part, side, group, from Old French, from feminine past participle of partir, to divide, from Latin partīre, from pars, part-, part; see part.]
par'ty·er, par'ti·er n.

Usage Note: Party is unexceptionable when used to refer to a participant in a social arrangement, as in She was not named as a party in the conspiracy. It is this sense that underlies the legal use of the term, as when one speaks of the parties to a contract. The legal use has in turn led to the presence of the word in many fixed expressions, such as injured party and third party. But party is also widely used as a general substitute for person, as in Would all parties who left packages at the desk please reclaim them. This usage has been established for many centuries, but in the Victorian era it came to be associated with the language of the semieducated and it has been the subject of many later criticisms. This use of party may have been reinforced in the 20th century by its adoption by telephone operators. In other contexts, when used in earnest, it may be perceived as a superfluous variant for person. But the jocular use of the term is well established, particularly in references such as a wise old party.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

party

c.1290, "part, portion, side," from O.Fr. partie "a part, a party" (12c.), lit. "that which is divided," from fem. pp. of partir "to divide" (see part (v.)). Political sense of "side in a contest or dispute" evolved by 1300; meaning "a person" is from 1460. Sense of "gathering for social pleasure" is first found 1716, from general sense of persons gathered together (originally for some specific purpose, e.g. dinner party, hunting party). The verb is first attested 1922, from the noun. Phrase the party is over is from 1937; party line is first recorded 1834 in the sense of "policy adopted by a political party," 1893 in the sense of "telephone line shared by two or more subscribers." Party pooper is from 1951, Amer.Eng.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

party
noun
1.	an organization to gain political power; "in 1992 Perot tried to organize a third party at the national level"
2.	a group of people gathered together for pleasure; "she joined the party after dinner"
3.	a band of people associated temporarily in some activity; "they organized a party to search for food"; "the company of cooks walked into the kitchen"
4.	an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment; "he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day"
5.	a person involved in legal proceedings; "the party of the first part"
verb
1.	have or participate in a party; "The students were partying all night before the exam"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Cite This Source

party

In addition to the idioms beginning with party, also see life of the party.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

Main Entry: par·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: 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 parties to a contract> party to the instrument —Uniform 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 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 esp. 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 shall determine whether in equity and good conscience the action should proceed among the parties before it, or should be dismissed, the absent person being thus regarded as indispensable.”

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
1 : a person whose rights are or will be affected by an action taken esp. by a government or judicial body; especially : a person whose pecuniary interests are affected by a bankruptcy proceeding
2 : 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 “every action shall be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest.”

third party
1 : 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
2 : 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

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

Party

Par"ty\, n.; pl. Parties. [F. parti and partie, fr. F. partir to part, divide, L. partire, partiri. See Part, v.]

1. A part or portion. [Obs.] "The most party of the time." --Chaucer.

2. A number of persons united in opinion or action, as distinguished from, or opposed to, the rest of a community or association; esp., one of the parts into which a people is divided on questions of public policy.

Win the noble Brutus to our party. --Shak.

The peace both parties want is like to last. --Dryden.

3. A part of a larger body of company; a detachment; especially (Mil.), a small body of troops dispatched on special service.

4. A number of persons invited to a social entertainment; a select company; as, a dinner party; also, the entertainment itself; as, to give a party.

5. One concerned or interested in an affair; one who takes part with others; a participator; as, he was a party to the plot; a party to the contract.

6. The plaintiff or the defendant in a lawsuit, whether an individual, a firm, or corporation; a litigant.

The cause of both parties shall come before the judges. --Ex. xxii. 9.

7. Hence, any certain person who is regarded as being opposed or antagonistic to another.

It the jury found that the party slain was of English race, it had been adjudged felony. --Sir J. Davies.

8. Cause; side; interest.

Have you nothing said Upon this Party 'gainst the Duke of Albany? --Shak.

9. A person; as, he is a queer party. [Now accounted a vulgarism.]

Note: "For several generations, our ancestors largely employed party for person; but this use of the word, when it appeared to be reviving, happened to strike, more particularly, the fancy of the vulgar; and the consequence has been, that the polite have chosen to leave it in their undisputed possession." --Fitzed. Hall.

Party jury (Law), a jury composed of different parties, as one which is half natives and half foreigners.

Party man, a partisan. --Swift.

Party spirit, a factious and unreasonable temper, not uncommonly shown by party men. --Whately.

Party verdict, a joint verdict. --Shak.

Party wall. (a) (Arch.) A wall built upon the dividing line between two adjoining properties, usually having half its thickness on each property. (b) (Law) A wall that separates adjoining houses, as in a block or row.

Party

Par"ty\, a. [F. parti divided, fr. partir to divide. See Part, v., and cf. Partite.]

1. (Her.) Parted or divided, as in the direction or form of one of the ordinaries; as, an escutcheon party per pale.

2. Partial; favoring one party.

I will be true judge, and not party. --Chaucer.

Charter party. See under Charter.

Party

Par"ty\, adv. Partly. [Obs.] --Chaucer.