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brandy

American  
[bran-dee] / ˈbræn di /

noun

plural

brandies

  1. a spirit distilled from wine or from the fermented juice of grapes or of apples, peaches, plums, etc.

verb (used with object)

brandied, brandying

  1. to mix, flavor, or preserve with brandy.

brandy British  
/ ˈbrændɪ /

noun

  1. an alcoholic drink consisting of spirit distilled from grape wine

  2. a distillation of wines made from other fruits

    plum brandy
"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

Etymology

Origin of brandy

1615–25; short for brandywine < Dutch brandewijn burnt (i.e., distilled) wine

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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.

As important, our neighbors quickly embraced us, popping over occasionally with gifts of homemade “kulen” sausage or home-brewed plum brandy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Wisconsin, land of cheese curds and brats and brandy Old Fashioneds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025

More than 40% of French brandy is exported to the US.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025

The traditional spirit of choice is brandy, but rum is also popular.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024

“No brandy for me, thank you. I should get to bed. I have quite a walk ahead of me, now that Manpower has moved to the bush.”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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.