Standard Lemma guide

carouse

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /kəˈɹaʊz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊz
  • CMU ARPABET: K ER0 AW1 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large draught of liquor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A drinking bout; a carousal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • We are all going to carouse at Brian's tonight.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: revel

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To drink to excess.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, transitive

Examples

  • If I survive this headache, I promise no more carousing at Brian’s.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

revelry in drinking; a merry drinking party

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: carousal, bender, toot, booze-up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: revel, revelry

6

verb

Meaning 6

engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • They were out carousing last night

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: roister, riot

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: revel, racket, make whoopie, make merry, make happy, whoop it up, jollify, wassail

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: гуляя (guljaja) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Bulgarian: пирувам (piruvam) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Czech: hýřit — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Czech: pařit — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Finnish: rellestää — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • German: Gelage abhalten — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • German: eine Gasterei veranstalten — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • German: sinnlos besaufen — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Ancient Greek: κωμάζω (kōmázō) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Italian: gozzovigliare — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Latin: cōmīssor — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Latin: bacchor — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Polish: hulać — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Polish: balować — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Polish: birbantować — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Russian: кути́ть (kutítʹ) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Russian: пирова́ть (pirovátʹ) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Russian: туси́ть (tusítʹ) — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Spanish: farrear — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Swedish: rumla — To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering
  • Bulgarian: пиянствувам (pijanstvuvam) — To drink to excess
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暢飲 /畅饮 (chàngyǐn) — To drink to excess
  • Czech: chlastat — To drink to excess
  • Finnish: juopotella — To drink to excess
  • Finnish: ryypätä — To drink to excess
  • Finnish: kännätä — To drink to excess
  • German: zechen — To drink to excess
  • German: saufen — To drink to excess
  • German: bechern — To drink to excess
  • Italian: ubriacarsi — To drink to excess
  • Italian: sbronzarsi — To drink to excess
  • Russian: пья́нствовать (pʹjánstvovatʹ) — To drink to excess
  • Russian: напива́ться (napivátʹsja) — To drink to excess
  • Russian: напи́ться (napítʹsja) — To drink to excess
  • Russian: еба́шить (jebášitʹ) — To drink to excess
  • Russian: хуя́рить (xujáritʹ) — To drink to excess
  • Spanish: embriagarse — To drink to excess