liquor

American  

[lik-er, lik-wawr] / ˈlɪk ər, ˈlɪk wɔr /

noun

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

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

   Synonyms:

   juice

3. Pharmacology. solution.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to furnish or ply with liquor to drink (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to drink large quantities of liquor (often followed byup ).

liquor British  

/ ˈlɪkə /

noun

1. any alcoholic drink, esp spirits, or such drinks collectively

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

3. pharmacol a solution of a pure substance in water

4. brewing warm water added to malt to form wort

5. drunk; intoxicated

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• antiliquor adjective
• liquory adjective

Etymology

Origin of liquor

1175–1225; < Latin: a liquid, originally liquidity ( liqu ( ēre ) to be liquid + -or -or ¹ ); replacing Middle English lic ( o ) ur < Old French ( French liqueur ) < Latin liquōrem, accusative of liquor

Example Sentences

In my loft, everything catches her eye: books, art, pictures, CDs, liquor cabinet, furniture, the colors of the walls.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

“Our job is to make sure that we control food costs and liquor costs and labor.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

The company also struggled selling the Chinese liquor baiju, with sales in the country collapsing by 42.3%, which offset what the company said was a strong performance in Europe, Latin America and Caribbean and Africa.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

In the 1970s, actor Billy Dee Williams was the iconic face of Colt 45 malt liquor.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

With a disproportionate number of Hampton citizens earning a living from the liquor industry in the early days of the twentieth century, the alcohol drought that was rolling across the country was potentially devastating.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• alcohol
• booze
• whiskey