cider

American  

[sahy-der] / ˈsaɪ dər /

British, cyder

noun

• ciders
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• ciderish
  adjective
• ciderlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ciders
  plural

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

See Examples For:

cider ciders

Then, incorporating this week’s lesson, white balsamic or apple cider vinegar keeps the root vegetables’ sweetness from becoming cloying.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

For sweeter, earthier soups made with squash or root vegetables, I tend toward vinegars with a little fruitiness of their own, like apple cider vinegar or my current favorite, white balsamic.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

Myers then instructed them on climbing apple trees safely, and sent them out to pick apples for cider.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Products that will benefit include some types of Calvados and cider from Normandy, Crémant d'Alsace fizzy wine, lamb from Poitou-Charentes, and Reine-Claude plums.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“It seems that the crock with Mrs. Kabakoff’s pilgrim cider has fallen from the top shelf. Would you please run and bring Mr. Vendleri?”

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

It is over 150 years old and owns major brands including Murphy's Irish Stout, Sol, Desperados and Amstel, as well as ciders Strongbow, Inch's, Old Mout, Bulmers and Red Stripe.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

Unlike farmed varieties, many apple seedlings produce the bitter, tannic, intensely flavored fruit suited to hard ciders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

Lower-priced wines are doing particularly badly as young adults favor craft beers, seltzers, kombucha, ciders and other flavored beverages with little or no alcohol.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025

After it ended in 1933, the company went right back to making hard ciders, but kept the popular nonalcoholic branch of the business going as well.

From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2023

In my youth in the Transkei, I listened to the ciders of my tribe telling stories of the old days.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela