Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To drink large amounts of alcohol, especially in boisterous merrymaking.
  • noun Carousal.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To drink freely and with jollity; revel noisily or intemperately.
  • To drink up; drink to the bottom.
  • noun A hearty drink or full draught of liquor: as, to quaff or drink carouse.
  • noun A carousal; a noisy banquet.
  • noun Synonyms See carousal.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb Archaic To drink up; to drain; to drink freely or jovially.
  • noun obsolete A large draught of liquor.
  • noun A drinking match; a carousal.
  • intransitive verb To drink deeply or freely in compliment; to take part in a carousal; to engage in drunken revels.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering.
  • verb intransitive To drink to excess.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun revelry in drinking; a merry drinking party
  • verb engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Earlier, a cup drunk up completely in one draft as a toast, from French, carous as in French (boire) carous, (to drink a cup) up completely in one draft, from German gar aus(trinken), (to drink) up completely (used in such exhortations as trinks gar aus, drink it all up) : gar, completely (from Middle High German, from Old High German garo; akin to archaic English yare, ready) + aus, out, up; see auslander.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French carousser ("to quaff, drink, swill"), from German gar aus ("quite out"), from gar austrinken ("to drink up entirely, guzzle"). More at drink.

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Examples

  • Puzzled and alarmed, shaking his head ruefully as he recalled the carouse of the silent, he hobbled down the mountain as fast as he might for the grip of the rheumatism on his knees and elbows, and entered his native village.

    Myths and Legends of Our Own Land — Volume 01: the Hudson and its hills 1879

  • The carouse was a tremendous one, as usually was the case where Hollock was the Amphitryon, and, as the potations grew deeper, an intention became evident on the part of some of the company to behave unhandsomely to Norris.

    PG Edition of Netherlands series — Complete John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • The carouse was a tremendous one, as usually was the case where Hollock was the Amphitryon, and, as the potations grew deeper, an intention became evident on the part of some of the company to behave unhandsomely to Norris.

    History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce — Complete (1584-1609) John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • The carouse was a tremendous one, as usually was the case where Hollock was the Amphitryon, and, as the potations grew deeper, an intention became evident on the part of some of the company to behave unhandsomely to Norris.

    History of the United Netherlands, 1586-89 — Complete John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • LEE: Well, you know, someone pointed out to me -- it ` s sort of like -- why not like -- if you want to kind of carouse around, why not just be like George Clooney and stay single?

    CNN Transcript Dec 2, 2009 2009

  • Though rumor has it that this section of the city is on the cusp of gentrification, Pilsen is still largely a neighborhood of empty lots and boarded-up buildings, where gangs roam after midnight, and groups of men congregate on street corners to drink and carouse.

    American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010

  • Only about a quarter of those who attended the party chose to suit up, grab a sword and take part in the class, while the rest continued to carouse.

    Creative Class: Fencing and Fashion Lizzie Simon 2011

  • He preferred to drink and carouse rather than to rule, and his wife, Nur Jahan, took on the responsibility of the state.

    Great dynasties of the world: The Mughals 2011

  • Does little Catherine Sedley wear your clothes and carouse with you all late into the night?

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • The four of them carouse, sing raucous songs and reminisce about old times.

    Ecstasy - review 2011

Comments

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  • "I felt very unwell, this whole day," soldiers frequently noted in their journals, "from last night's carouse."

    —Sarah Hand Meacham, Every Home a Distillery: Alcohol, Gender, and Technology in the Colonial Chesapeake (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009), 111

    June 18, 2010