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Synonyms

apéritif

American  
[ah-per-i-teef, uh-per-, a-pay-ree-teef] / ɑˌpɛr ɪˈtif, əˌpɛr-, a peɪ riˈtif /

noun

  • apéritifs
    plural
  1. a small drink of alcoholic liquor taken to stimulate the appetite before a meal.

  2. Also called apéritif wine. a wine served as an appetizer or cocktail.


apéritif British  
/ ɑːˌpɛrɪˈtiːf, əˌpɛr- /

noun

  1. an alcoholic drink, esp a wine, drunk before a meal to whet the appetite

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of apéritif

1890–95; < French ( vin ) apéritif; see aperitive

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:

Super fruity and very low in bitterness, it was an excellent, mood-elevating apéritif.

From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

Among the most popular offerings is Ghia, a spirit-free apéritif, which launched in mid-2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022

Try an apéritif base like Lillet instead of vodka or gin to mix refreshing summer drinks that are lighter on booze without sacrificing complexity.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2021

Pastis is named for pastis, an anise-flavored apéritif usually mixed with water and ice before serving.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 13, 2019

We went out to the Café Napolitain to have an apéritif and watch the evening crowd on the Boulevard.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Decadence ruled the evening: There were fizzy apéritifs, overflowing concession stands and an in-person intro by Swift herself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

As apéritifs go, Lillet Blanc is a guaranteed crowdpleaser — not too bitter, or too herbal or too sweet.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2021

As jazz emanated from speakers and a bartender poured apéritifs, Bryan Christian, a book club habitué who works at Hyperion, arrived in a natty summer suit with patterned pocket square.

From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2010

His arrival created at first almost a sensation, a slight feeling of constraint even, amongst the little gathering of men drinking their apéritifs in the lounge under the stairs.

From Nobody's Man by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim

I wondered what he would do for food and lodging, to say nothing of tobacco, apéritifs, and other such necessaries of life.

From The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol by Alec Ball

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