Bourbon

[ boor-buhn, bawr-, bohr- or, French, boor-bawn for 1-3; bur-buhn for 4 or, occasionally for 3 ]

See synonyms for Bourbon on Thesaurus.com

noun

a member of a French royal family that ruled in France 1589–1792, Spain 1700–1931, and Naples 1735–1806, 1815–60.
Charles [sharl], /ʃarl/, "Constable de Bourbon", 1490–1527, French general.

a person who is extremely conservative or reactionary.
(lowercase)Also called bourbon whiskey . a straight whiskey distilled from a mash having 51 percent or more corn: originally the corn whiskey produced in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

Words Nearby Bourbon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bourbon in a sentence

From cognac to Bourbon, rye to añejo tequila, many of our beloved spirits spend years aging in wooden casks.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste? | | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In Kentucky the Bourbon distillers have had to increase their payrolls by 77 per cent in two years to meet the demand.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries | Clive Irving | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I would enjoy having some Kentucky Bourbon,” President Obama said on Wednesday.
The Booze That Saved America | Kevin Bleyer | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And Obama suggested that he and McConnell could share some Kentucky Bourbon.
Obama: Lamest Duck Ever? | Jonathan Alter | November 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He clumsily sipped from the dainty straw of a blasphemously non-Bourbon beverage and smiled broadly as he talked to fellow bros.
Mitch’s Brotastic Victory Bash | Olivia Nuzzi | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The imperialists under the duke of Bourbon, took Rome by assault and plundered it.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
As I left the Palais-Bourbon at five o'clock that afternoon, it rejoiced my heart to breathe in the sunny air.
Marguerite | Anatole France
The house of Bourbon, the younger sons of the Valois, were at work beneath the surface of the Reformation.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
The Bourbon dynasty reduced brigandage very much, and secured order on the main high-roads.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
I now brought forth from the cupboard a bottle of my choicest Bourbon and four glasses.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for bourbon (1 of 2)

bourbon

/ (ˈbɜːbən) /

noun

a whiskey distilled, chiefly in the US, from maize, esp one containing at least 51 per cent maize (the rest being malt and rye) and aged in charred white-oak barrels

Origin of bourbon

C19: named after Bourbon county, Kentucky, where it was first made

British Dictionary definitions for Bourbon (2 of 2)

Bourbon

/ (ˈbʊəbən, French burbɔ̃) /

noun

- a member of the European royal line that ruled in France from 1589 to 1793 (when Louis XVI was executed by the revolutionaries) and was restored in 1815, continuing to rule in its Orleans branch from 1830 until 1848. Bourbon dynasties also ruled in Spain (1700–1808; 1813–1931) and Naples and Sicily (1734–1806; 1815–1860)
- (as modifier): the Bourbon kings

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

Browse