lager

¹ American  

[lah-ger, law-] / ˈlɑ gər, ˈlɔ- /

noun

1. Also called lager beer.  a beer stored from six weeks to six months for aging before use.

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verb (used with object)

1. to age (beer) usually by storing in tanks at just-below freezing temperatures for several weeks or months.

lager ² American  

[lah-ger] / ˈlɑ gər /

noun

South African.

1. laager.

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lager ¹ British  

/ ˈlɑːɡə /

noun

1. a light-bodied effervescent beer, fermented in a closed vessel using yeasts that sink to the bottom of the brew Compare ale

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lager ² British  

/ ˈlɑːɡə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of laager

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Etymology

Origin of lager

1835–45; short for lager beer, half adoption, half translation of German Lagerbier. See lair ¹, beer

Explanation

Lager is a common type of beer. When someone in a movie bellies up to a bar and orders a well-known brand of beer, it's usually a lager. Brewers distinguish lagers from other beers by the yeast used to ferment it, as well as its light color and what's often described as the "crisp" taste of a lager. This type of beer was first invented in 15th-century Bavaria. The name lager comes from lager beer and its German source, Lagerbier, or "beer brewed for keeping," a reference to the practice of storing lager in cold places while it matures.

Example Sentences

Heineken—which alongside its namesake lager brand makes Amstel, Desperados and Birra Moretti—said it expects operating earnings to grow between 2% and 6% this year, backing guidance it set out earlier in the year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

In lager beers, foam stability is controlled by surface viscoelasticity.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

If your people are beer people, think versatile: an amber ale or clean lager, plus a solid N/A counterpart.Athletic makes good ones, though many skew hoppy, so keep your audience in mind.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2025

The firm vowed to establish the UK's biggest native woodland and peatland restoration project, supported by sales of its Lost Forest lager.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

He missed land and good food and better lager.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• ale