merry

A call for others to enjoy themselves, usually in the context of a party or other festive gathering. Come on, people, this is a party—eat, drink, and be merry!

Happy; in good spirits. I'm glad to see my sister in merry pin on our vacation because she's usually so stressed out these days.

Prov. Enjoy yourself whenever you can, because you may die soon. ("Eat, drink, and be merry" by itself is simply a way of encouraging people to enjoy themselves.) Fred: No cake for me, thank you. I'm on a diet. Jane: But, Fred, this is a birthday party. Eat, drink, and be merry. Natasha encouraged all her guests to eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Fig. to lead someone in a purposeless pursuit. What a waste of time. You really led me on a merry chase. Jane led Bill on a merry chase trying to find an antique lamp.

to have fun; to have an enjoyable time. The guests certainly made merry at the wedding. The children were making merry in the backyard.

very happy and carefree. (*Also: as ~.) Mary is as merry as a cricket whenever she has company come to call. The little children are as merry as the day is long.

Cliché the more people there are, the happier the situation will be. Of course you can have a ride with us! The more the merrier. The manager hired a new employee even though there's not enough work for all of us now. Oh, well, the more the merrier.

additional people will make something better a€?Do you mind if I invite my sister and her family?a€? a€?Why not? The more the merrier.a€?

something that you say which means you are happy for other people to join your group in an activity 'Do you mind if Ann comes to the cinema with us?' 'Not at all. The more the merrier.'

Also, lead a merry chase or dance . Mislead someone; waste someone's time. For example, Mary refuses to commit herself and is leading John a merry chase, or Harry led us all a dance; we were waiting at the hotel and he'd gone to the movies. [First half of 1500s]

The larger the number involved, the better the occasion. For example, John's invited all his family to come along, and why not? The more the merrier. This expression was first recorded in 1530, when it was put as "The more the merrier; the fewer, the better fare" (meaning "with fewer there would be more to eat"), an observation that made its way into numerous proverb collections.