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birthday party

birthday party

201 1.0
A social gathering to celebrate someone's birthday with food, games, and gifts
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrθˌdeɪ ˈpɑrti/
translation icon : fiesta de cumpleaños
  • What can go wrong at a surprise birthday party for your best friend, Veronica?
  • attend a birthday party
  • organize a birthday party
  • come to birthday parties

This is like Pennywise doing kids birthday parties after it came out.

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Examples

  • Michael was giving a birthday party for his daughter Becky, who was turning eleven.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • My parents are throwing a birthday party for me.

  • Oh, I I want to tell you my plan for my birthday party right now.

  • Meanwhile, I was planning my own birthday party with people I was working with.

  • This means we can plan each other's birthday parties.

  • When she comes round, she can help us plan your birthday party.

  • Our boys are going to have a birthday party at the skating rink.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You're invited to a birthday party for SpongeBob.

  • So we were at Sydney's birthday party when the FedEx came to the house.

  • We are excited to celebrate Emily's birthday party this Saturday with cake and games.

Synonyms

surprise birthday event
vsbirthday party
1.9

A secret party people plan so the birthday person does not know

is an openly planned celebration with guests and gifts

How Big

blowout
  • Informal
17 4.4
big event
38 2.0
birthday party
201 1.0
party of sorts
  • Informal
7.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

birthday + party

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'birthday' (a celebration of the day someone was born) with 'party' (an occasion to celebrate), so a learner who knows both words can infer a gathering to celebrate a birthday. This compositional noun phrase follows a common cross-linguistic pattern and requires no idiomatic knowledge, making it accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Birthday party joins birthday, the day someone was born, and party, a happy gathering, and the picture is simple: cake, candles, gifts and games. So, birthday party means 'a party to celebrate someone's birth'.