soda
Americannoun
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sodium, as in carbonate of soda.
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a drink made with soda water, flavoring, such as fruit or other syrups, and often ice cream, milk, etc.
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(in faro) the card turned up in the dealing box before one begins to play.
noun
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any of a number of simple inorganic compounds of sodium, such as sodium carbonate ( washing soda ), sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda ), and sodium hydroxide ( caustic soda )
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See soda water
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a fizzy drink
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the top card of the pack in faro
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slang something easily done; a pushover
Regionalisms
See soda pop.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of soda
1550–60; (< Italian ) < Medieval Latin < Arabic suwwādah kind of plant; compare Middle French soulde, soude
Explanation
In many parts of the U.S., soda is a sweet, fizzy drink. There are also some places where you'd call soda "pop," a "soft drink," or "Coke" instead. While you may think of soda as something you order to drink at a restaurant, soda is also used for unflavored carbonated water, or seltzer, and for baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate. There's also sodium carbonate, or "washing soda," which is an ingredient in powdered soap and used to make some types of glass. This kind of soda was originally used to carbonate water, which led to the use of soda to mean "carbonated drink."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks, which are often marketed as somewhat healthy, should be limited," Malik said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Each daily serving of soda was associated with a 23% higher risk of high blood pressure, while each daily serving of sports drinks was linked to a 36% higher risk.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
It may take yet some more time for the higher commodity prices to translate into say, higher costs for bread, soda or beef.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Elderflower liqueur is also the star in my spritz riffing on the Greyhound cocktail, which combines gin or vodka with grapefruit juice and club soda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Dr. van Heerden had given Nhamo a bottle of orange soda from the refrigerator earlier, but by now had forgotten about her existence.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Sugar-sweetened beverages included sodas, fruit punches, lemonades, iced teas, sports drinks and non-carbonated fruit drinks.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
By the end of the night, the pavement was littered with busted watermelons, sodas and chips, according to law enforcement and social media videos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Two Brazil supporters sipped sodas a little further away.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Traditional sodas didn’t take a bigger hit than other fountain beverages, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Sodas! We forgot to get sodas to go with the cake!”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
