noun · 2 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:/ˌswɑːˈɹeɪ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪ
CMU ARPABET:S W AA0 R EY1
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A formal evening party.
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 party of people assembled in the evening (usually at a private house)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: party
Narrower terms: musical soiree, soiree musicale
History
Etymology
Etymology tree French soir French -ée French soiréebor. English soiree Borrowed from French soirée (“evening activity”).
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Belarusian:
вечары́нка
(vječarýnka)
— formal evening party
Bulgarian:
вечери́нка
(večerínka)
— formal evening party
Bulgarian:
соаре́
(soaré)
— formal evening party
Chinese Cantonese:
晚宴
(maan5 jin3)
— formal evening party
Chinese:
晚宴
(boán-iàn)
— formal evening party
Chinese Mandarin:
晚宴
(wǎnyàn)
— formal evening party
Dutch:
soiree
— formal evening party
Esperanto:
amuzvespero
— formal evening party
Finnish:
vastaanotto
— formal evening party
French:
soirée
— formal evening party
Galician:
serán
— formal evening party
German:
Soiree
— formal evening party
Greek:
εσπερίδα
(esperída)
— formal evening party
Hungarian:
estély
— formal evening party
Ido:
vesperfesto
— formal evening party
Ido:
vesperkunveno
— formal evening party
Japanese:
夜会
(yakai)
— formal evening party
Khmer:
រាត្រី
(riətrəy)
— formal evening party
Korean:
야회
(yahoe)
— formal evening party
Ladino:
suare
— formal evening party
Macedonian:
вече́ринка
(večérinka)
— formal evening party
Macedonian:
соаре́
(soaré)
— formal evening party
Portuguese:
sarau
— formal evening party
Russian:
банке́т
(bankét)
— formal evening party
Russian:
зва́ный ве́чер
(zványj véčer)
— formal evening party
Russian:
суаре́
(suarɛ́)
— formal evening party
Russian:
вечери́нка
(večerínka)
— formal evening party
Russian:
ве́чер
(véčer)
— formal evening party
Serbo-Croatian:
вечеринка
— formal evening party
Serbo-Croatian:
соаре
— formal evening party
Serbo-Croatian:
večerinka
— formal evening party
Serbo-Croatian:
soare
— formal evening party
Spanish:
velada
— formal evening party
Spanish:
tardeada
— formal evening party
Spanish:
verbena
— formal evening party
Turkish:
suare
— formal evening party
Ukrainian:
вечі́рка
(večírka)
— formal evening party