party
[noun]
Synonyms:
- get-together (informal), celebration, do (informal), festivity, function, gathering, reception, social gathering
- group, band, company, crew, gang, squad, team, unit
- faction, camp, clique, coterie, league, set, side
- person, individual, someone

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Related Words: alliance, union, side

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English Thesaurus: do, do your work/homework etc, do the shopping/cooking/washing etc, do a test/experiment/some research, do a course, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. par‧ty¹ S1 W1 /ˈpɑːti $ ˈpɑːrti/ noun (plural parties) [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: partie 'part, party', from partir 'to divide']

1. FOR FUN a social event when a lot of people meet together to enjoy themselves by eating, drinking, dancing etc:
We’re having a small party this evening to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
throw/give a party
The university threw a party to welcome them.
go/come to a party
Are you going to the party tonight?
at a party
I met John at a party a couple of months ago.
the party spirit (=the way someone feels when they are really enjoying a party) ⇒ hen party, house party, stag party, party animal

2. IN POLITICS [also + plural verb British English] a political organization with particular beliefs and aims, which you can vote for in elections:
I have always voted for the Labour Party.
He failed to win the party’s nomination for President.
The conference is open to all party members. ⇒ party line

3. GROUP OF PEOPLE [also + plural verb British English] a group of people who go somewhere together or do a job together
party of
a party of tourists
There were several students in our party.
A search party was sent out to look for the missing climbers.
a rescue party
Admission is free for school parties. ⇒ working party

4. IN AN ARGUMENT/LAW law or formal one of the people or groups who are involved in a legal argument or agreement:
helping the two parties to reach an agreement
guilty/innocent party
He sees himself as the innocent party in this dispute. ⇒ third party¹

5. be (a) party to something formal to be involved in an activity or decision:
I was not a party to this discussion.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. party² verb (past tense and past participle partied, present participle partying, third person singular parties) [intransitive]
informal to enjoy yourself with a group of other people by drinking alcohol, eating, dancing etc:
Let’s party!

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

party
noun
I. political group
ADJ. political | centre, left-wing, right-wing | centrist, fascist, populist, progressive, radical, reactionary, revolutionary, social democratic, socialist | Communist, Conservative, Democratic, Labour, Liberal, Republican, etc. | opposition | parliamentary members of the parliamentary party (= MPs, not ordinary party members) | main both main political parties
majority, minority They are now the majority party in Parliament.
governing, ruling
VERB + PARTY establish, form, found, set up | dissolve, wind up The party was officially dissolved in 1927.
split a bitter dispute which finally split the party
be/become the leader of, lead | be/become a member of, belong to, join | be affiliated to, have links with He was accused of having strong links with the Communist Party.
leave, resign from She left the party in 2000.
expel sb from | vote for | elect, put in/into power, return to power The Labour Party was returned to power in 2001.
PARTY + VERB come to power, gain power, win (sth) | lose (sth), lose power The Labour party lost the vote on this important issue.
contest sth the parties contesting the elections
PARTY + NOUN conference, congress | activist, member, faithful (= loyal members of the party) | chairman, leader, leadership | line Most MPs will follow the party line (= the official view of the party).
politics
PHRASES the left/right wing of the party

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

party
II. social occasion
ADJ. cocktail, dinner, tea | birthday, Christmas, farewell, house-warming, leaving | garden, office, street | all-night | fancy-dress | surprise
VERB + PARTY give, have, hold, organize, throw On moving in they threw a huge house-warming party.
invite sb to | attend, go to | gatecrash | leave
PARTY + VERB go on There was a party going on next door.
be in full swing (= to be very busy and noisy) By now the party was in full swing.
break up The party broke up around midnight.
PARTY + NOUN guest | pooper (also party-pooper; sb who does not want to join in the fun at a party)
PREP. at a/the ~ I was at a party in London that night.
~ for I'm organizing a surprise party for my sister.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

party
III. group of people working/doing sth together
ADJ. boarding, coach, landing, raiding, reading, rescue, search, stretcher, working It was time for us to join the coach party.
PREP. ~ of She arrived with a party of helpers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

party
IV. person in a legal case
ADJ. guilty, innocent | aggrieved, injured | interested First we must notify all the interested parties.
third You must sign the document in the presence of an independent third party (= another person apart from the two main people involved)
VERB + PARTY notify | be binding on/upon, bind This agreement shall be binding upon both parties.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

party

have a party
We’re having a party on Saturday night.
hold a party
The party was held at his flat.
throw/give a party (=organize it)
Staff threw a party to celebrate the news.
host a party (=give a large or formal party)
The party was hosted by the Danish ambassador.
go to/come to a party (also attend a party formal)
Are you going to Tom’s party?
About 500 people will attend a party in her honour.
invite somebody to a party
I’ve been invited to Greg’s party next weekend.
gatecrash a party (=go to it even though you have not been invited)
Some older boys tried to gatecrash the party.
a party is in full swing (=people at a party are having a good time talking, dancing etc)
At 3 am, the party was still in full swing.
there is a party going on
Somewhere near the hotel there was a party going on.
a party breaks up (=it ends and people go home)
The party broke up a little after midnight.
a birthday party
They met at her sister’s 18th birthday party.
a Christmas/Halloween etc party
I hope you’re going to the office Christmas party.
a big/small party
I don’t really like going to big parties.
a dinner party (=one where people are invited to someone’s house for an evening meal)
It’s a favorite topic of conversation at fashionable dinner parties these days.
a cocktail party (=a fairly formal party, at which alcoholic drinks are served)
I first met him at a cocktail party at the American embassy.
a fancy dress party British English, a costume party American English (=one where people wear unusual clothes, for example so they look like someone from a story)
She went to the fancy dress party as Snow White.
an office party
I danced with my boss at the office party.
a surprise party
Amy has planned a surprise party for his birthday.
a farewell/leaving party
You didn’t come to Ken’s farewell party, did you?
a street party (=one held outside in a street)
Thousands flocked to the street party on Princess Street to celebrate New Year.
a lavish party (=one where a lot of money has been spent)
He threw lavish parties for his celebrity friends.
the party spirit (=the way people feel when they are really enjoying a party)
There’ll be plenty of free champagne to get the party spirit going.
be in a party mood (=want to enjoy yourself at a party)
Kate wasn’t really in a party mood, so she stayed home.
party games
The children had great fun playing party games.
a party dress
The little girls were wearing white party dresses.
a political party
The Labour Party and the Conservative Party are the two main political parties in Britain.
the Labour/Democratic etc Party
The leadership race within the Republican Party is almost over.
an opposition party (=a party that is not in power)
The tax increase was criticized by opposition parties.
the ruling party (=the party in power)
The ruling party’s level of support grew throughout the year.
a right-wing/left-wing party
Support for the right-wing parties was strongest among young working-class men.
a party member
He’s been a Conservative party member for 20 years.
the party leader
He met with opposition party leaders.
a party candidate (=someone who represents a political party in an election)
The seat was won by the Socialist Party candidate with 68% of the vote.
the party faithful (=strong supporters of a party)
His policies appeal to the party faithful.
a party activist (=someone who works hard for a party)
Campaign literature is distributed by unpaid party activists.
party policy (=a political party’s official plan or position on important subjects)
There has been a change in party policy.
a party conference
He will give a speech at the Tory party conference this morning.
the party chairman British English
He resigned as Conservative party chairman.
a party official
The incident has angered senior party officials.
a party wins/loses an election
Do you think the Labour Party can win the next election?
join a party
Bloomfield joined the Communist Party in 1946.
form/found a party
The two politicians broke away from the PDF to form a new political party.
a party is in power
From 1945 until 1951 the Labour Party was in power in Britain.
a party comes to power (=begins to be the government)
The ruling party came to power in May 2001.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

party
noun
1.
BAD: On Christmas Day we always make a big party.
GOOD: On Christmas Day we always have a big party.
BAD: Next Saturday we're celebrating a small party at John's house.
GOOD: Next Saturday we're having a small party at John's house.
BAD: The party was being made at a friend's house.
GOOD: The party was being held at a friend's house.

Usage Note:
have/hold/throw a party (NOT make/celebrate ): 'Let's have a party and invite all our friends.'
celebrate Christmas, the New Year, someone's birthday, retirement, promotion, etc: 'Next month we're having a party to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.'
A party is held somewhere (NOT made/celebrated ): 'Where is the garden party being held?' See Language Panel at DO

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2.
See TAKE PART 5

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

do to do something – used in the following phrases: do your work/homework etc:
It usually takes me a couple of hours to do my homework.
⇒ do the shopping/cooking/washing etc:
She’s gone to the supermarket to do the shopping.
⇒ do a test/experiment/some research:
The doctor did some tests.
Fraser spent some time in Egypt doing some archaeological research.
Scientists are doing research on two types of vaccine.
⇒ do a course:
Have you decided which course you want to do at university?
make to do something – used in the following phrases: make a speech:
The Prince made a short speech.
⇒ make a comment/suggestion/joke:
Can I make a suggestion?
⇒ make a decision:
The committee will meet to make their final decision.
⇒ make a mistake:
I think someone has made a mistake.
give to do something – used in the following phrases: give a talk/speech/lecture:
They’ve asked him to give a talk.
⇒ give a performance:
The band gave a brilliant performance.
take to do something – used in the following phrases: take a test/exam:
Kate’s taking her driving test tomorrow.
⇒ take a bath/shower:
I think I’ll go and take a shower.
⇒ take a walk:
Normally, he took a walk in the evenings.
commit to do something that is a crime, especially a serious crime: commit a crime:
The crime was committed in the early hours of the morning.
⇒ commit a robbery/murder etc:
Dixon later admitted committing the robbery.
carry out something to do something – used in the following phrases: carry out your work:
The violence is making it difficult for firefighters to carry out their work.
⇒ carry out a task/duty:
He still managed to carry out his duties.
⇒ carry out a survey/test/some research:
The hospital carries out research into skin diseases.
⇒ carry out an operation:
The operation was carried out at a hospital in Paris.
⇒ carry out a threat/promise:
They didn’t carry out their threat to kill the hostages.
⇒ carry out sb’s orders/instructions/wishes:
I’m sure I can rely on you to carry out my instructions.
perform to do something. Perform is more formal than carry out, and is used in the following phrases: perform a task/duty:
The job mostly involves performing administrative tasks.
⇒ perform an operation:
A team of surgeons performed the operation.
conduct to do something – used in the following phrases: conduct a survey/study/experiment:
They conducted a survey of approximately 2,000 people living in the area.
⇒ conduct an inquiry/investigation:
The police are conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.
⇒ conduct an interview:
Knowing how to conduct a successful interview is a skill.
⇒ conduct a campaign:
People were unimpressed by the way in which the election campaign was conducted.
go about something to do your work or the things that you usually do, especially when something serious has happened: go about your work/business:
The next day she went about her business as if nothing had happened.
get on with something spoken especially British English to start doing something that you should have started already or to continue doing something that you stopped doing for a short time:
I need to get on with my homework.
be up to something spoken to be doing something that you think is probably bad, although you do not know exactly what it is:
I’m sure they’re up to something.
What’s Jake up to? He’s been upstairs in his room all day.
party a social event when a lot of people meet together to enjoy themselves by eating, drinking, dancing etc:
We’re having a party for Sarah’s 40th birthday.
I met my boyfriend at a party.
get-together an informal party:
Christmas is the perfect time for a family get-together.
ball a large formal party where people dance:
the end of term ball
rave a large party which is held outside or in an empty building, where people dance to music and take illegal drugs
reception a large formal party, especially one after a wedding or to welcome an important person:
The wedding reception is at a nearby hotel.
a reception for the Thai Foreign Minister
They attended a White House reception to mark the Queen’s visit.
function a large formal or official party:
He has been asked to play at many corporate functions (=an official party held by a company).
celebration a party or special event that is organized in order to celebrate something:
the country’s 50th anniversary celebrations
It was a 21st birthday celebration which Mary would never forget.
bash informal a party, especially a big one that a lot of famous people go to – used especially in journalism:
the star’s birthday bash
a picture of him at a Hollywood bash
a showbiz bash
dinner party a party where people are invited to someone’s house for an evening meal:
I met him at a dinner party.
house-warming (party) a party that you have when you move into a new house:
We’re having a house-warming next week.
cocktail party (also drinks party British English) a party that people go to in order to talk and have a drink together for a few hours
fancy-dress party British English, costume party American English a party where people dress in special clothes, for example to look like a famous person or a character in a story
hen party especially British English a social event just before a wedding, for a woman who is getting married and her female friends
stag night British English, bachelor party American English a social event just before a wedding, for a man who is getting married and his male friends
baby/wedding shower American English an event at which people give presents to a woman who is going to have a baby or get married

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

group several people together in the same place:
A group of boys stood by the school gate.
Arrange yourselves in groups of three.
crowd a large group of people who have come to a place to do something:
There were crowds of shoppers in the streets.
The crowd all cheered.
mob a large, noisy, and perhaps violent crowd:
An angry mob of demonstrators approached.
mass a large group of people all close together in one place, so that they seem like a single thing:
The square in front of the station was a solid mass of people.
bunch informal a group of people who are all similar in some way:
They’re a nice bunch of kids.
gang a group of young people, especially a group that often causes trouble and fights:
He was attacked by a gang of youths.
rabble a noisy group of people who are behaving badly:
He was met by a rabble of noisy angry youths.
horde a very large group of people who all go somewhere:
In summer hordes of tourists flock to the island.
There were hordes of people coming out of the subway.
crew a group of people who all work together, especially on a ship or plane:
the ship’s crew
The flight crew will serve drinks shortly.
party a group of people who are travelling or working together:
A party of tourists stood at the entrance to the temple.
herd a group of cows, deer, or elephants:
A herd of cows was blocking the road.
team a group of people who work together:
She is being cared for by a team of doctors.
flock a group of sheep or birds:
a flock of seagulls
The farmer has over 100 sheep in his flock.
pack a group of dogs or wolves:
Some dogs are bred to work in packs.
litter a group of kittens or puppies born at one time to a particular mother:
He was one of a litter of seven puppies.
school/shoal a group of fish or dolphins:
Piranha fish live in shoals in the wild.
bundle several papers, clothes, or sticks held or tied together in an untidy pile:
Bundles of papers and files filled the shelves.
cluster a group of things of the same kind that are close together in a place:
a cluster of stars
Our road ended at a cluster of cottages.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

organization a group of people, companies, or countries, which is set up for a particular purpose:
Greenpeace is an international organization that protects the environment.
the World Health Organization
institution a large important organization such as a bank, church, or university:
The University is an important academic institution.
financial institutions such as banks
association an organization for people in a particular profession, sport, or activity, which officially represents its members – often used in names:
I met a representative of the National Association of Teachers.
the Football Association
party an organization of people with the same political aims which you can vote for in elections:
Which political party do you support?
He voted for the Republican Party’s candidate.
body an important group of people who make the rules and advise people about what should be allowed:
the sport’s governing body
The government has set up an advisory body.
club/society an organization for people who share an interest, for example a sport:
We belong to a tennis club.
I joined the university film society.
union an organization formed by workers in order to protect their rights:
The union ordered its members out on strike.
charity an organization which collects money to help people who are poor, sick etc and does not make any profit for itself:
She has raised a lot of money for local charities.
quango British English disapproving an organization set up by the government, which has official power but whose members have not been elected:
the amount of money that is wasted on government quangos

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

party a social event when a lot of people meet together to enjoy themselves by eating, drinking, dancing etc:
We’re having a party for Sarah’s 40th birthday.
I met my boyfriend at a party.
get-together an informal party:
Christmas is the perfect time for a family get-together.
ball a large formal party where people dance:
the end of term ball
rave a large party which is held outside or in an empty building, where people dance to music and take illegal drugs
reception a large formal party, especially one after a wedding or to welcome an important person:
The wedding reception is at a nearby hotel.
a reception for the Thai Foreign Minister
They attended a White House reception to mark the Queen’s visit.
function a large formal or official party:
He has been asked to play at many corporate functions (=an official party held by a company).
celebration a party or special event that is organized in order to celebrate something:
the country’s 50th anniversary celebrations
It was a 21st birthday celebration which Mary would never forget.
bash informal a party, especially a big one that a lot of famous people go to – used especially in journalism:
the star’s birthday bash
a picture of him at a Hollywood bash
a showbiz bash
do British English informal a party:
We’re having a do to celebrate Margaret’s birthday.
dinner party a party where people are invited to someone’s house for an evening meal:
I met him at a dinner party.
house-warming (party) a party that you have when you move into a new house:
We’re having a house-warming next week.
cocktail party (also drinks party British English) a party that people go to in order to talk and have a drink together for a few hours
fancy-dress party British English, costume party American English a party where people dress in special clothes, for example to look like a famous person or a character in a story
hen party especially British English a social event just before a wedding, for a woman who is getting married and her female friends
stag night British English, bachelor party American English a social event just before a wedding, for a man who is getting married and his male friends
baby/wedding shower American English an event at which people give presents to a woman who is going to have a baby or get married

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

party
̈ɪˈpɑ:tɪ
See: hen party , life of the party , neck-tie party , throw a party

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲