Adjacent Words

Party definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

P`ARTY, n. [L. pars. See Part.]
1. A number of persons united in opinion or design, in opposition to others in the community. It differs from faction, in implying a less dishonorable association, or more justifiable designs. Parties exist in all governments; and free governments are the hot-beds of party. Formerly, the political parties in England were called whigs and tories.
2. One of two litigants; the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit.
The cause of both parties shall come before the judges. Exodus 22.
3. One concerned or interested in an affair. This man was not a party to the trespass or affray. He is not a party to the contract or agreement.
4. Side; persons engaged against each other.
The peace both parties want, is like to last.
Small parties make up in diligence what they want in numbers.
5. Cause; side.
Aegle came in to make their party good.
6. A select company invited to an entertainment; as a dining party, a tea party, an evening party.
7. A single person distinct from or opposed to another.
If the jury found that the party slain was of English race, it had been adjudged felony,
8. In military affairs, a detachment or small number of troops sent on a particular duty, as to intercept the enemy's convoy, to reconnoiter, to seek forage, to flank the enemy, etc.is used to qualify other words and may be considered either as part of a compound word, or as an adjective; as party man, party rage, party disputes, etc.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an organization to gain political power; "in 1992 Perot tried to organize a third party at the national level" [syn: party, political party]
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" [syn: party, company]
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" v
1: have or participate in a party; "The students were partying all night before the exam"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural parties) Etymology: Middle English partie part, party, from Anglo-French, from partir to divide — more at part Date: 14th century 1. a person or group taking one side of a question, dispute, or contest 2. a group of persons organized for the purpose of directing the policies of a government 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 6. a social gathering; also the entertainment provided for it • party adjective II. intransitive verb (partied; partying) Date: 1919 to attend or give parties; broadly revel 1 • partyer also partier noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. (pl. -ies) 1 a social gathering, usu. of invited guests. 2 a body of persons engaged in an activity or travelling together (fishing party; search party). 3 a group of people united in a cause, opinion, etc., esp. a political group organized on a national basis. 4 a person or persons forming one side in an agreement or dispute. 5 (foll. by to) Law an accessory (to an action). 6 colloq. a person. --v.tr. & intr. (-ies, -ied) entertain at or attend a party. Phrases and idioms: party line 1 the policy adopted by a political party. 2 a telephone line shared by two or more subscribers. party-wall a wall common to two adjoining buildings or rooms. Etymology: ME f. OF partie ult. f. L partire: see PART 2. adj. Heraldry divided into parts of different colours. Etymology: ME f. OF parti f. L (as PARTY(1))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(parties, partying, partied) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A party is a political organization whose members have similar aims and beliefs. Usually the organization tries to get its members elected to the government of a country. ...a member of the Labour party. ...India's ruling party. ...opposition parties. ...her resignation as party leader. N-COUNT 2. A party is a social event, often in someone's home, at which people enjoy themselves doing things such as eating, drinking, dancing, talking, or playing games. The couple met at a party... We threw a huge birthday party... Most teenagers like to go to parties. N-COUNT see also dinner party, garden party, hen party, stag party 3. If you party, you enjoy yourself doing things such as going out to parties, drinking, dancing, and talking to people. They come to eat and drink, to swim, to party. Sometimes they never go to bed... VERB: V 4. A party of people is a group of people who are doing something together, for example travelling together. They became separated from their party. ...a party of sightseers. N-COUNT: usu with supp see also search party, working party 5. One of the people involved in a legal agreement or dispute can be referred to as a particular party. (LEGAL) It has to be proved that they are the guilty party. N-COUNT: usu supp N see also third party 6. Someone who is a party to or is party to an action or agreement is involved in it, and therefore partly responsible for it. Crook had resigned his post rather than be party to such treachery. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Faction, set, junto, circle, ring, combination, league, confederacy, alliance, cabal, clique, coterie. 2. Body, company, detachment, troop, squad. 3. Company. 4. Company, assembly, gathering, social as semblage. 5. Participator, participant, partaker, sharer. 6. Litigant, plaintiff or defendant. 7. Person, individual, one, somebody, some one. 8. Cause, side.

Moby Thesaurus

Adamite, American Party, Anti-Monopoly Party, Bull Moose Party, Communist Party, Conservative Party, Constitutional Union Party, Democratic Party, Democratic-Republican Party, Farmer-Labor Party, Federalist Party, Free Soil Party, Greenback Party, Kaffeeklatsch, Know-Nothing Party, Labour Party, Liberal Party, Liberal Republican Party, Liberty Party, Mardi Gras, National Republican Party, Populist Party, Progressive Party, Prohibition Party, Republican Party, Saturnalia, Socialist Labor Party, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Tammany Hall, Tory Party, Whig Party, a party to, accessory, accomplice, accusant, accuser, actor, adherents, advocate, affiliation, age group, aid, allegator, alliance, ally, appellant, approver, assemblee, assembly, assignation, associate, at home, bacchanal, bacchanalia, backer, ball, band, banquet, bash, battalion, beano, being, bevy, bipartisan, biparty, bloc, blowout, body, branch, brawl, breakaway group, brigade, bunch, bust, cabal, cadre, caller, calling party, camp, carnival, carousal, carouse, cast, cat, caucus, celebration, certifier, champion, chap, character, church, city hall, claimant, clique, club, cluster, coalition, cocktail party, coffee klatch, cohort, colloquium, combine, commission, committee, communion, community, company, complainant, complement, conclave, concourse, confederacy, confederate, confederation, confirmer, congregation, congress, contingent, contributor, conventicle, convention, convocation, copartner, corps, cosignatory, cosigner, costume party, cotenant, coterie, council, covey, creature, crew, crowd, customer, dance, date, debauch, defendant, defender, delator, denomination, denominational, detachment, detail, diet, dinner, dinner party, division, do, donation party, duck, earthling, eisteddfod, endorser, entertainment, ethnic group, exponent, faction, factional, fair, feast, federation, fellow, fellowship, festival, festive occasion, festivity, fete, field day, fiesta, fleet, forgathering, forum, frolic, function, gala, gala affair, gala day, gang, garden party, gathering, get-together, great doings, groundling, group, grouping, groupment, guarantor, guy, hand, head, helper, hen party, high jinks, homo, hop, house party, house-raising, housewarming, human, human being, impeacher, impugner, in-group, indictor, individual, informer, insurer, interest, interest group, interested, jamboree, joker, junta, junto, kermis, lawn party, league, levee, libelant, life, litigant, litigationist, litigator, living soul, machine, major party, man, mask, masque, masquerade, masquerade party, meet, meeting, minor party, minority group, mob, mortal, movement, multiple party system, nose, notary, notary public, offshoot, one, one-party system, opposition party, order, organization, orgy, out-group, outfit, pack, panel, partaker, partial, participant, participator, parties litigant, partisan, partner, party in power, peer group, person, personage, personality, persuasion, petitioner, phalanx, phoner, picnic, plaintiff, platoon, plenum, political machine, political party, posse, pressure group, prom, promoter, proponent, prosecutor, quorum, rally, ratifier, rave, reception, regiment, religious order, rendezvous, ring, romp, salon, saturnalia, schism, school, seance, seconder, sect, sectarian, sectarism, sectary, sectional, segment, session, set, shareholder, sharer, shindig, shindy, shower, side, signatory, signer, silent majority, single, sit-in, sitting, smoker, social gathering, society, soiree, somebody, someone, soul, splinter, splinter group, splinter party, spree, squad, stable, stag, stag party, string, subscriber, suitor, supporter, surprise party, symposium, synod, team, telephoner, tellurian, terran, the prosecution, third party, tribe, troop, troupe, turnout, two-party system, underwriter, union, unit, upholder, variety, version, vocal minority, waygoose, wayzgoose, wing, wingding, witness, worldling