malt
Americannoun
-
malts
plural
-
germinated grain, usually barley, used in brewing and distilling.
-
any alcoholic beverage, as beer, ale, or malt liquor, fermented from malt.
-
whisky, as Scotch, that is distilled entirely from malted barley.
verb (used with object)
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malts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
malted,
past participle, past
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malting
present participle
-
to convert (grain) into malt by soaking it in water and allowing it to germinate.
-
to treat or mix with malt, malt extract, etc.
-
to make (liquor) with malt.
verb (used without object)
-
malts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
malted,
past participle, past
-
malting
present participle
-
to become malt.
-
to produce malt from grain.
noun
-
cereal grain, such as barley, that is kiln-dried after it has germinated by soaking in water
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See malt liquor
-
short for malt whisky
verb
-
to make into or become malt
-
to make (something, esp liquor) with malt
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
maltsimple
-
maltssimple
-
have maltedperfect
-
has maltedperfect
-
am maltingprogressive
-
are maltingprogressive
-
is maltingprogressive
-
have been maltingperfect progressive
-
has been maltingperfect progressive
Past
-
maltedsimple
-
had maltedperfect
-
was maltingprogressive
-
were maltingprogressive
-
had been maltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of malt
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mealt; cognate with Old Norse malt, German Malz; akin to melt 1
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.
See Examples For:
A beloved producer in Melbourne, Australia, Starward’s signature Nova single malt is aged in Australian red wine barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Like Neapolitan pizza, the New York bagel has certain well-defined characteristics: rolled from a cold-fermented, high-gluten, low-hydration dough flavored with malt syrup, kettle-boiled, then baked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Founded in 1933 as E. & J. Gallo Winery, the company in 2024 renamed itself to reflect its portfolio, which by then had grown beyond wine to include distilled spirits, malt beverages and ready-to-drink cocktails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
In the 1970s, actor Billy Dee Williams was the iconic face of Colt 45 malt liquor.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026
We should grab the radio and call for the plane and go home and eat a hamburger and a malt, maybe eight or ten Cokes, a steak, some roasts and pork chops....
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
South Korea’s first single malts, these bottles start at around $120 in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
"The reduction of trade barriers in the Republic of Korea will further enhance Scotch Whisky's access to an important market, especially for single malts."
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
Many recent technological advances in production help nonalcoholic beer maintain fermentation characteristics derived from the malts, hops and yeast, thus providing a more balanced and pleasant product that tastes like "real" beer.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2023
"With no Australian malt available, the prices of other malts has become crazy."
From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2023
A hamburger and a malt, a cold malt and fries—two hamburgers and two malts and fries— and he would sit and eat and tell everybody about the storm and the killer whales.
From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen
But the federal government didn’t even recognize American single malt—whiskey made from 100% malted barley produced at one U.S. distillery—as a spirits category until 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Roasted and ground lupin, chickpea, malted barley, and chicory are amongst the major ingredients the company works with, along with an undisclosed natural flavouring.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
“And the Welsh have everything that we have: They have decent water, they have malted barley, and they have yeast, so they can make good whisky.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
When brewing beer, brewers extract sugars from malted barley — barley grains that have been partially germinated and then dried to make available the starches in the grain and enzymes that break them down.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2023
“Because ‘duodecimalthon’ sounds a lot like ‘Dewey decimal system’ if you say it real fast with a mouthful of malted milk balls, don’t you agree?”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
"At Berryfields, we found evidence of malting and brewing and the tanks used to steep the grain before processing," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2024
In the three years prior to the tariffs, China bought between 86% and 91% of Australia's malting barley exports, Australian government data shows.
From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2023
After the malting operation closed, the building fell into disrepair.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2022
The malting step adds flavor but also a few days to the recipe.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2022
He walked back to Strawberry and began malting the hissing noises that grooms make.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
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