champagne

champagne — noun

1. a fizzy French wine that comes from an area of France called Champagne and is us

1.noununcountableA2
Definition

a fizzy French wine that comes from an area of France called Champagne and is usually drunk at celebrations.

Example

For their 25th anniversary, Aiko and her husband opened a bottle of French champagne.

collocation: a bottle of champagne / a glass of champagne

The company served chilled champagne to all the guests at the New Year's Eve party.

Common collocations
  • vintage champagne
  • French champagne
  • chilled champagne
  • pop open a bottle of champagne
  • champagne cork
Synonyms
  • sparkling wine

    the general term for any wine with bubbles; champagne is one type of sparkling wine

  • bubbly

    informal term for champagne or sparkling wine in general

Grammar Patterns

a glass/bottle of champagne

champagne + noun (champagne flute, champagne cork)

Usage Note

Always uncountable — use 'a glass of champagne' or 'a bottle of champagne' rather than 'a champagne'. The word is never pluralised as 'champagnes' when referring to the drink itself.

Common Mistakes

I bought a champagne from the store.
I bought a bottle of champagne from the store.
champagne is uncountable, so you need 'a glass of' or 'a bottle of' before it.
This Italian champagne is delicious.
This Italian sparkling wine is delicious.
only wine from the Champagne region of France can be called champagne.

2. a fizzy wine or other drink that is made to look and taste like real champagne b

2.noununcountableB1
Definition

a fizzy wine or other drink that is made to look and taste like real champagne but does not come from the Champagne region, often sold at a lower price.

Example

For the school party, the teachers bought a cheap fizzy wine that they called champagne.

collocation: cheap champagne

The supermarket sells a non-alcoholic champagne that tastes quite similar to the real drink.

collocation: non-alcoholic champagne

Common collocations
  • cheap champagne
  • non-alcoholic champagne
  • fruit champagne
Synonyms
  • sparkling wine

    the correct general term; more accurate than 'champagne' for wines from other regions

  • fizzy wine

    informal term for any wine with bubbles

Grammar Patterns

adjective + champagne (cheap champagne, non-alcoholic champagne)

champagne as a countable noun (a champagne / champagnes)

Usage Note

When used this way, champagne can sometimes be countable — e.g. 'They sell three different champagnes.' This is common on supermarket labels but not used for the real French product.

Common Mistakes

I love Italian champagne.
I love Italian sparkling wine.
only French wine from Champagne can use the name 'champagne'.

3. a soft, light gold colour with a warm beige tone, similar to the appearance of c

3.nounB1
Definition

a soft, light gold colour with a warm beige tone, similar to the appearance of champagne wine and often used in fashion or interior design.

Example

Yara chose a dress in champagne for the wedding because of its soft, elegant look.

The living room walls were painted a warm champagne that matched the wooden floor.

colour name: champagne as a paint colour

Common collocations
  • champagne-coloured
  • champagne dress
  • champagne lipstick
  • champagne shade
Synonyms
  • beige

    a similar but more brownish neutral; champagne is lighter and warmer

  • ivory

    a paler, cream-based colour; champagne has more gold tone

  • gold

    stronger and more yellow; champagne is much softer and subtler

Grammar Patterns

champagne + noun (champagne colour, champagne dress)

Usage Note

Often used in compound adjectives: champagne-coloured, champagne-pink, champagne-beige. In fashion catalogues, 'champagne' alone functions as a colour name — e.g. 'available in champagne, silver, and gold.'

champagne — adjective

Word family

  • champagne-coloured
    adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne. 'Sparkling wine' is the general term for any wine with bubbles — it covers everything from French champagne to Italian prosecco and Spanish cava. 'Champagne' specifically refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, made using the traditional méthode champenoise. 'Prosecco' is an Italian sparkling wine that is fruitier and lighter, usually made more cheaply. 'Cava' comes from Spain, produced using a similar method to champagne but at a lower price point. 'Bubbly' is an informal, friendly word for any sparkling wine. For a wedding toast, people say 'let's open some champagne', but for everyday drinking they might order a glass of prosecco or cava. If you want to be precise about the origin and production method, use 'champagne' only for the French product.

sparkling wineproseccocavabubbly

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • champagne flute
  • champagne cork
  • champagne bucket
  • champagne toast
  • champagne breakfast
  • champagne reception
  • pop a bottle of champagne
  • a glass of champagne

Prepositions

  • of champagne
  • in champagne

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'champagne' comes from the Champagne region in northeastern France, where this sparkling wine was first produced in the 17th century. The region's name comes from the Latin word 'campania', meaning 'open country' or 'plain'. The wine became famous across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries as a drink for royalty and celebrations, and the name has since been used more loosely for similar fizzy wines and even for the colour of the wine.