cider

American  

[sahy-der] / ˈsaɪ dər /

British, cyder

noun

1. the juice pressed from apples (or formerly from some other fruit) used for drinking, either before fermentation sweet cider or after fermentation hard cider, or for making applejack, vinegar, etc.

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cider British  

/ ˈsaɪdə /

noun

1. Also called (US): hard cider.  an alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of apples

2. Also called: sweet cider.  an unfermented drink made from apple juice

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Other Word Forms

• ciderish
  adjective
• ciderlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cider

1250–1300; Middle English sidre < Middle French < Old French si ( s ) dre < Late Latin sīcera strong drink < Septuagint Greek sī́kera < Hebrew shēkhār (Levit. 10:9); replacing Middle English sithere < Old French sidre

Explanation

Cider is an unfiltered juice or fermented beverage made from apples. In the fall, there's nothing like a mug of hot, spiced cider. Apple cider is a darker-colored, unsweetened version of apple juice — the main difference is that cider is fresh, with a short shelf life, and it isn't filtered. Another kind of cider is this same pressed apple juice, allowed to ferment and become alcoholic. This is often called "hard cider." The word comes from the Old French cidre, "pear or apple cider," ultimately from the Hebrew shekhar, "strong drink."

Example Sentences

What to Do: Start your morning in Livingston Manor with coffee at the Walk In and antique hunting before heading to the town of Accord for wood-fired pizza and cider at Westwind Orchard.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

And for those that way inclined, "around San Sebastian there's all these really good cider houses".

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

As the story goes, Bellinger doused his property with water and, when the supply ran dry, resorted to cider.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

In fact, the beloved cider has taken home the top prize more than five times, officially making it a Hall of Fame product.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

As food historian Michael Pollan has written, “Virtually every homestead in America had an orchard from which literally thousands of gallons of cider were made every year.”

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler