sweet sixteen

plural sweet sixteens · alternative sweet 16

1. USinformalA girl's sixteenth birthday, or sixteenth-birthday party and a related coming of age party.

   1 more example

   But one tradition associated with the age hangs on: the Sweet Sixteen celebration. Symptomatic of at least a partial swing away from counterculture sentiments, the Sweet Sixteen party—relatively dormant during the anti‐Establishment turmoil of the late 60's and early 70's—is becoming popular again as a way of marking the 16th birthday.

   1978 January 4, Lynn Ames, “Sweet Sixteen: A Rite That Persists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Oct 2021

2. bingoSixteen.

1. USinformalball gamesThe sixteen teams participating in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division I tournament, one of whom will become the national champion.
2. USinformalball gamesThe round of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament where all but 16 teams have been eliminated.
3. USinformalball gamesAn appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.

   The new coach has just led the Nimrods to their first Sweet Sixteen.