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social occasion

social occasion

3 2.8
An event where people meet to celebrate or spend time together
  • noun
  • /ˈsoʊʃəl əˈkeɪʒən/
translation icon : ocasión social
  • The wedding was a large social occasion that brought together family and friends from far away.
  • Jewish social occasion

They don't have social occasions with their fellow Democrats or Republicans, much less across the table.

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Examples

  • I met a White House aide once at a social occasion.

  • Spirit drinking among the city's male Irish was an omnipresent pastime on all major social occasions.

    Academic text (1990)
  • In England, these social occasions are fixed in advance and limited in nature.

    Academic text (2003)
  • There were no more evening social occasions.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • No pressure, Bridge, but your whole future happiness now depends on how you behave on this one social occasion.

  • I've mentioned before how social occasions are not what they used to be.

    Blog text (21)
  • One of the defendants, Mr Barker, and I met at a social occasion once.

  • The sauna bath was a family occasion, like Sunday dinner, and often a social occasion among friends.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Colonists drank alcohol with every meal and at every social occasion.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Students knew each other, treated professors with customary respect, and relished social occasions.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

party
vssocial occasion
1.0

An event where people meet to celebrate, eat, and have fun

is more formal and important, not limited to casual celebration or fun
affair
vssocial occasion
  • Formal
267 3.7

A formal social event with food, music, and speeches

is broader, highlighting importance of the occasion rather than the event label
gathering
vssocial occasion
203 1.0

A meeting of people for a social or special purpose

is more focused on importance and official formality than general meetings
reception
vssocial occasion
167 3.3

A formal party after a ceremony to welcome guests

is more general covering many types of important formal gatherings
banquet
vssocial occasion
  • Formal
114 3.9

A large formal meal for many people to celebrate a special event

covers that celebration type but also other non‑meal formal events
function
vssocial occasion
  • Formal
74 4.2

A formal social event such as a party or ceremony

is more general, covering any important formal gathering rather than official only
social event
vssocial occasion
19 1.9

A gathering where people meet to talk and enjoy themselves

is narrower in formality, focusing on important or official gatherings rather than any meeting
social gathering
vssocial occasion
7 2.7

An event where people meet to talk and spend time together

leans more formal and important, not simply any casual meeting
social function
vssocial occasion
  • Formal
4 3.5

A formal event where people meet for a special purpose

is broader and denotes any important formal gathering, not only purpose‑specific
social affair
vssocial occasion
  • Formal
3.8

A formal party or ceremony where many people meet

is similar but focuses on importance and formality rather than social tone

How Formal

ceremony
901 2.5
social occasion
3 2.8
party
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

social + occasion

The meaning 'an event where people gather socially' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'social' (relating to communal interaction) with 'occasion' (an event). This adjective+noun composition follows a standard, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Social occasion comes from two simple ideas: the word social means people together and occasion means a special time or event. So imagine people meeting at a set time to celebrate or mark something, and that's why 'a formal or important event where people gather socially' is the meaning of Social occasion.