Meaning & use
sundowner
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritishinformal
An alcoholic drink taken in the early evening, especially while watching the sun set.
Grammar: Often used with have or enjoy: we had a sundowner on the terrace.
Patterns
- have a sundowner
- a sundowner on something
We sat on the veranda and had a sundowner while the sky turned orange.
The lodge offers a sundowner on the beach for every guest.
After a hot day on safari, a cold sundowner was exactly what I wanted.
nouncountableAustralianold-fashioned
In Australia, a wandering worker who arrived at a farm late in the day to get food and a bed without doing any work.
Grammar: Dated; used when talking about the past in rural Australia.
Farmers in the old days kept an eye out for sundowners arriving as the light faded.
The old stockman remembered the sundowners who never stayed long enough to be asked to work.
Word forms
| plural | sundowners |
|---|
Common combinations
- have a sundowner
- Shall we have a sundowner before dinner?
- enjoy a sundowner
- Guests can enjoy a sundowner by the pool.
- a sundowner cruise
- They booked a sundowner cruise along the river.
- sundowner at the bar
- The hotel serves a sundowner at the rooftop bar every evening.
- sundowner on the deck
- We shared a sundowner on the deck and talked about the trip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aperitif
- An aperitif is a drink before a meal, whereas a sundowner is tied to the time of sunset, not to dinner.
- nightcap
- A nightcap is drunk right before bed, so it comes much later than a sundowner.
- cocktail
- A cocktail is a mixed drink of any time, while a sundowner can be any drink but must be enjoyed at sunset.
Word family
- sundown noun
- the time when the sun sets
- sundowning noun
- increased confusion in the evening in some people with dementia
- sunset noun
- the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon
Commonly confused: sundowner or sundown?
sundowner vs sundown
Sundown is the time of day when the sun sets, not a drink or a person.
Practice
On our last night at the safari lodge we watched the sunset with a ______ in hand.
Choose one answer.
A sundowner is a drink enjoyed as the sun goes down. A hangover is the effect of drinking too much, and breakfast is a morning meal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sundowner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.