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cocktail sauce
noun
: a somewhat spicy sauce that consists typically of ketchup or tomato-based chili sauce mixed with horseradish and often lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot-pepper sauce and that is served especially as a condiment for cold seafood (such as shrimp or oysters)
Examples of cocktail sauce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Someone opened it and removed the cocktail sauce and left the shrimp!
—Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2024
Slice of Garlic Seafood Alfredo Pizza (garlic Alfredo base with surimi, motz and provolone cheese topped with splash of Old Bay seasoning, a swirl of cocktail sauce): $8.
CCS Empanadas:
Chicken Empanada: $6.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 23 May 2024
Wasabi is also sometimes substituted for horseradish to make cocktail sauce extra spicy.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024
Oysters are prepared seven different ways, from raw with baja mignonette, yuzu green peppercorn sauce, or cocktail sauce and lemon to jerk-style, with a Caribbean-spiced jam.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
The shrimp had a nice snap to it and served as an excellent vessel for the piquant, faintly sweet cocktail sauce.
—The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024
Something to savor Start off with the Oysters West Coast and East Coast, served with red wine vinegar mignonette and lemon cocktail sauce, and the lavraki, served with horta and ladolemono sauce.
—Amanda Mesa, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
This is worth more than a passing notice and not only for those of us who enjoy our occasional plate of oysters on the half-shell or perhaps dipped in flour and corn meal, fried and served with a nice cocktail sauce.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2024
The cocktail ceviche, priced at $11.99, features shrimp, tomato, red onions, jalapeño, cilantro, cucumbers, avocado, and cocktail sauce.
—Dana McMahan, The Courier-Journal, 2 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cocktail sauce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near cocktail sauce
Cite this Entry
“Cocktail sauce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocktail%20sauce. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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