parties

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of party.

   Both parties signed the contract after weeks of negotiation.

   Guests drifted between the rooftop parties all evening.

   Note

   Every noun sense of party forms its plural the same way, from contracts to games. In law the plural is everyday: both parties sign, and the parties to an agreement are its sides. An older use means groups united behind a cause, close to factions. Gamers use it for the characters a player controls together. A dated, humorous slang use takes party simply as a person.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of party.

   He works hard all week and parties on Saturday nights.

   The band parties just as enthusiastically as its fans after every show.

   Note

   The verb takes no object: someone parties, but never parties something. It shares its spelling with the plural noun, so the sentence tells you which is meant, as in she parties every weekend versus the parties met. Watch the register. In slang it can be a euphemism for taking recreational drugs. Online, gamers use it for forming a group, usually with with.

3. 3
   nounobsolete

   Plural of partie, an obsolete spelling of party.

   Note

   An old spelling hides here. Older English sometimes wrote the singular as partie, and its plural comes out identical to the modern plural. So in an early text, parties alone cannot tell you which singular the writer used. Only a singular nearby reveals it. Partie is obsolete, so modern prose should write party. The plural needs no adjustment at all.

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