Party vs. Rave — What's the Difference?

A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing or other forms of entertainment.

A rave (from the verb: to rave) describes a dance party at a warehouse, public or private property, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 90s dance music scene when DJs played at illegal events in musical styles dominated by electronic dance music from a wide range of sub-genres, including techno, hardcore, house, dubstep, and alternative dance.

A social gathering especially for pleasure or amusement

To speak wildly, irrationally, or incoherently.

A group of people who have gathered to participate in an activity

To move with great violence or intensity

A group of soldiers selected for a duty or mission

To speak or write with wild enthusiasm

An established political group organized to promote and support its principles and candidates for public office.

To attend a rave.

A person or group involved in an enterprise; a participant or accessory

To utter or express in a frenzied or unrestrained manner.

(Law) A person or entity that participates in a transaction, makes a contract, or is involved in a lawsuit as a litigant.

The act or an instance of raving.

A subscriber to a telephone party line.

(Informal) An extravagantly enthusiastic opinion or review

A person using a telephone.

An all-night dance party, especially one at which techno, house, or other electronically synthesized music is played.

A person

Chiefly British A raucous party; a rave-up.

Of, relating to, or participating in an established political organization

Relating to or being an extravagantly enthusiastic opinion or review.

Suitable for use at a social gathering

An enthusiastic review (such as of a play).

Characteristic of a pleasurable social gathering

An all-night dance party with electronic dance music (techno, trance, drum and bass etc.) and possibly drug use.

To celebrate or carouse at a party or similar gathering

The genres of electronic dance music usually associated with rave parties.

(legal) A person or group of people constituting a particular side in a contract or legal action.

One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.

A person.

To wander in mind or intellect; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging.

A person; an individual.

To speak or write wildly or incoherently.

With to: an accessory, someone who takes part.

To talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion or excitement; followed by about, of, or (formerly) on.

A group of people forming one side in a given dispute, contest etc.

(obsolete) To rush wildly or furiously.

Active player characters organized into a single group.

To attend a rave (dance party).

(video games) A group of characters controlled by the player.

One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.

(politics) A political group considered as a formal whole, united under one specific political platform of issues and campaigning to take part in government.

An instance of raving.

(military) A discrete detachment of troops, especially for a particular purpose.

A highly flattering or enthusiastic review of a play, book, etc.

A group of persons collected or gathered together for some particular purpose.

A clamorous dance party, especially one featuring a band or disc jockey playing loud modern rock music oriented toward young people, held in a large room such as a warehouse, often organized by an informal or ad hoc sponsor.

A gathering of usually invited guests for entertainment, fun and socializing.

To wander in mind or intellect; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging, as a madman.

A group of people traveling or attending an event together, or participating in the same activity.

To rush wildly or furiously.

A gathering of acquaintances so that one of them may offer items for sale to the rest of them.

To talk with unreasonable enthusiasm or excessive passion or excitement; - followed by about, of, or on; as, he raved about her beauty.

A small group of birds or mammals.

To utter in madness or frenzy; to say wildly; as, to rave nonsense.

(obsolete) A part or division.

A dance party that lasts all night and electronically synthesized music is played;

(intransitive) To celebrate at a party, to have fun, to enjoy oneself.

An extravagantly enthusiastic review;

To take recreational drugs.

Participate in an all-night techno dance party

(intransitive) To engage in flings, to have one-night stands, to sow one's wild oats.

Talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner

To form a party (with).

Praise enthusiastically;

Of a fence or wall: shared by two properties and serving to divide them.

Divided; in part.

(heraldry) Parted or divided, as in the direction or form of one of the ordinaries.

A part or portion.

A number of persons united in opinion or action, as distinguished from, or opposed to, the rest of a community or association; esp., one of the parts into which a people is divided on questions of public policy.

A part of a larger body of company; a detachment;

A number of persons invited to a social entertainment; a select company; as, a dinner party; also, the entertainment itself; as, to give a party.

One concerned or interested in an affair; one who takes part with others; a participator; as, he was a party to the plot; a party to the contract.

The plaintiff or the defendant in a lawsuit, whether an individual, a firm, or corporation; a litigant.

Hence, any certain person who is regarded as being opposed or antagonistic to another.

Cause; side; interest.

A person; as, he is a queer party.

Parted or divided, as in the direction or form of one of the ordinaries; as, an escutcheon party per pale.

Partial; favoring one party; partisan.

Partly.

An organization to gain political power;

An occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment;

A band of people associated temporarily in some activity;

A group of people gathered together for pleasure;

A person involved in legal proceedings;

Have or participate in a party;