liquor

[ lik-er or, for 3, lik-wawr ]

/ ˈlɪk ər or, for 3, ˈlɪk wɔr /

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See synonyms for: liquor / liquored / liquoring on Thesaurus.com

noun

a distilled or spirituous beverage, as brandy or whiskey, as distinguished from a fermented beverage, as wine or beer.

any liquid substance, as broth from cooked meats or vegetables.

Pharmacology. solution (def. 6).

a solution of a substance, especially a concentrated one used in the industrial arts.

verb (used with object)

Informal. to furnish or ply with liquor to drink (often followed by up).

verb (used without object)

Informal. to drink large quantities of liquor (often followed by up).

OTHER WORDS FOR liquor

2 juice, drippings.

See synonyms for liquor on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of liquor

1175–1225; <Latin: a liquid, originally liquidity (liqu(ēre) to be liquid + -or-or¹); replacing Middle English lic(o)ur<Old French (French liqueur) <Latin liquōrem, accusative of liquor

OTHER WORDS FROM liquor

liq·uor·y, adjectivean·ti·liq·uor, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH liquor

liqueur, liquor

Words nearby liquor

liquid protein, liquid storax, liquidus, liquid x, liquify, liquor, liquorice, liquorice allsorts, liquorish, liquor store, liquor up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use liquor in a sentence

Stitzel recently identified concentrations of organic compounds in cocoa liquor from Vietnam, Indonesia, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico.
How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?|Carolyn Beans|September 10, 2020|Science News
Stitzel works with samples of cocoa liquor — cocoa beans that have been fermented, dried, roasted and ground into a paste — from across the globe.
How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?|Carolyn Beans|September 10, 2020|Science News
In unpublished work, she was able to use an elemental analysis to accurately link cocoa liquor to its country of origin about 97 percent of the time.
How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?|Carolyn Beans|September 10, 2020|Science News
The next day, Illinois allowed bars and restaurants to start selling unopened bottles of beer, wine and liquor, but mixed drinks were excluded.
Number of states allowing to-go cocktails has surged from 2 to 33 during coronavirus|Lee Clifford|August 24, 2020|Fortune

The tariffs make importing these liquors more expensive, reducing demand.
Covid-19 and a trade war are a deadly mix for US liquor imports|Dan Kopf|August 21, 2020|Quartz
The possibilities seem endless: Who needs a trip to the liquor store when the toddler can turn water into wine, amirite?
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps the most Jewish part of the 6th Annual Latke Festival was that the food went way faster than the liquor.
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed|Emily Shire|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why was a master photographer recruited to work with one of the most successful liquor brands on the planet?
The Restaurant, Flask, And Photography Worthy of The Macallan Whisky||December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His court-appointed lawyer was drinking a quart of liquor per day.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The theft, which was over in less than a minute, took place in a North London liquor store.
Thief Hypnotizes Shopkeeper, Then Robs Him|Nico Hines|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They became quite jolly as cocktails and red liquor flowed and tingled their veins.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
The steward, a young mulatto, had contracted the bad habit of indulging too much in liquor.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
In one particular his crime made him a changed man; from the moment he fled he never touched another drop of liquor.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Last night we celebrated Dubuques birthday, and I came back rather the worse for liquor.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Preparations of malt liquor were at that time deemed essential articles of comfort.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for liquor

liquor

/ (ˈlɪkə) /

noun

any alcoholic drink, esp spirits, or such drinks collectively

any liquid substance, esp that in which food has been cooked

pharmacol a solution of a pure substance in water

brewing warm water added to malt to form wort

in liquor drunk; intoxicated

verb

brewing to steep (malt) in warm water to form wort; mash

Word Origin for liquor

C13: via Old French from Latin, from liquēre to be liquid

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

liquor

OTHER WORDS FOR liquor

Origin of liquor

OTHER WORDS FROM liquor

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH liquor

Words nearby liquor

Words related to liquor

How to use liquor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for liquor

Word Origin for liquor