nightcap

noun

night·​cap ˈnīt-ˌkap How to pronounce nightcap (audio)
1
: a cloth cap worn with nightclothes
2
: a usually alcoholic drink taken at the end of the day
3
: the final race or contest of a day's sports
especially : the second game of a baseball doubleheader

Examples of nightcap in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From the day’s first studio appointment to a nightcap negroni at Bar Basso, Design Week attendees had to dress smartly. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2025 Houston took the chaos to another dimension in the nightcap. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025 The nightcap on Saturday’s action should be a fun one. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025 Maine punched its ticket in the nightcap with a grueling 4-3 win over Cinderella Northeastern which stretched in a second overtime. Barry Scanlon, Boston Herald, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nightcap

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nightcap was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nightcap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nightcap. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

nightcap

noun
night·​cap ˈnīt-ˌkap How to pronounce nightcap (audio)
1
: a cap worn with nightclothes
2
: a drink taken at bedtime
3
: the final race or contest of a day's sports activities

More from Merriam-Webster on nightcap

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!