To carouse means to eat, drink, and celebrate noisily and energetically, usually late into the night. When people carouse, they're having a raucous good time together, often at a party or celebration that gets loud and boisterous.

You might read about pirates carousing in taverns after returning from a voyage, or medieval knights carousing in a castle's great hall after a tournament.

While carouse describes loud, enthusiastic celebration, it often suggests the kind of partying that's a bit too wild or excessive. Today, you're more likely to see the word in historical novels or stories than in everyday conversation, though people still use it to describe particularly wild celebrations. A neighborhood might complain about college students carousing until 3 a.m. and disturbing everyone's sleep.