liquor

American  

[lik-er, lik-wawr] / ˈlɪk ər, ˈlɪk wɔr /

noun

1. a distilled or spirituous beverage, as brandy or whiskey, as distinguished from a fermented beverage, as wine or beer.

2. any liquid substance, as broth from cooked meats or vegetables.

   Synonyms:

   juice

3. Pharmacology. solution.

4. a solution of a substance, especially a concentrated one used in the industrial arts.

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verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to furnish or ply with liquor to drink (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to drink large quantities of liquor (often followed byup ).

liquor British  

/ ˈlɪkə /

noun

1. any alcoholic drink, esp spirits, or such drinks collectively

2. any liquid substance, esp that in which food has been cooked

3. pharmacol a solution of a pure substance in water

4. brewing warm water added to malt to form wort

5. drunk; intoxicated

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verb

1. brewing to steep (malt) in warm water to form wort; mash

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiliquor
  adjective
• liquory
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of liquor

1175–1225; < Latin: a liquid, originally liquidity ( liqu ( ēre ) to be liquid + -or -or ¹ ); replacing Middle English lic ( o ) ur < Old French ( French liqueur ) < Latin liquōrem, accusative of liquor

Example Sentences

Alberta and Saskatchewan have a fully privatised liquor retail system.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

The explosion occurred due a "rupture of a tank containing white liquor", the company said in a statement.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Across the roughly 430-acre campus south of Louisville, warehouses are jam-packed with barrels full of dark-brown liquor that may not have buyers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

The son of a bartender and a liquor salesman, he was raised in Portland, Ore. — which he and his family still called home.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

The police routinely arrested masses of people for pass violations, possession of liquor, and failure to pay the poll tax.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• alcohol
• booze
• whiskey