Carouse
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A large draught of liquor.
"[…] therefore forward I went with my hey-de-gaies to Ilford, where I againe reſted, and was by the people of the towne and countrey there-about very very wel welcomed, being offred carowſes in the great ſpoon, one whole draught being able at that time to haue drawne my little wit drye; […]"
- 2 revelry in drinking; a merry drinking party wordnet
- 3 A drinking bout; a carousal.
"The early feast and late carouse."
- 1 To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering. intransitive
"We are all going to carouse at Brian's tonight."
- 2 engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking wordnet
- 3 To drink to excess. intransitive, transitive
"If I survive this headache, I promise no more carousing at Brian’s."
Example
More examples"I am too sick at heart to revel, carouse, and make merry through the night."
Etymology
From Middle French carousser (“to quaff, drink, swill”), from German gar aus (literally “all out, quite out”), from gar austrinken (“to drink up entirely, guzzle”). Compare German Garaus.
More for "carouse"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.