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hard cider

American  
[hahrd sahy-der] / ˈhɑrd ˈsaɪ dər /

noun

  1. cider


hard cider British  

noun

  1. fermented apple juice Compare sweet cider

"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 hard cider

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

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.

Beloved in colonial America, hard cider lost favor in the mid-19th century as crisp lagers ascended; the temperance movement and Prohibition felled cider-apple trees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Van Buren, meanwhile, aimed to portray Harrison, a Virginian, as an unsophisticated “country squire” who lived in a log cabin and drank hard cider, Kraig said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2024

In 1840, supporters of Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison contrasted his rugged taste for hard cider with the champagne supposedly preferred by Democratic snob Martin Van Buren.

From Slate • Dec. 26, 2022

The recipes woven throughout are almost book ended by the simplest from her mother: potatoes simmered then roasted to a crisp with a mustard slather; and sausages in hard cider, a two-ingredient marvel.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2022

I doubt not the fact that General Harrison had once lived in a log cabin, and, other things failing, did drink "hard cider," gave him thousands of votes.

From Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 3 (of 3) by Parker, Theodore

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