soft drink

American  

noun

1. a beverage that is not alcoholic or intoxicating and is usually carbonated, as root beer or ginger ale.

---

soft drink British  

noun

1. a nonalcoholic drink, usually cold

---

Etymology

Origin of soft drink

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Sprite, a Coca-Cola brand, was named the official soft drink of the National Basketball Association on Tuesday, replacing PepsiCo’s Starry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

For Coca-Cola, sparkling soft drink volumes were flat for the quarter, while trademark Coca-Cola volume grew 1%.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

While there are the usual array of snack food and soft drink companies that will appearin the commercial breaks, viewers will also see a spurt in pharmaceutical ads.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

AG Barr was set up in Falkirk in 1875, with the soft drink manufacturer now based in Cumbernauld.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Now suppose I were to ask you to test a soft drink a little differently.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• cola
• soda
• soda pop