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definitions

quaff

[kwof, kwaf, kwawf]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quaff ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

verb (used with object)

to drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily: We spent the whole evening quaffing ale.

noun

an act or instance of quaffing.
a beverage quaffed.

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RELATED WORDS

sip, swill, imbibe, swig, gulp, guzzle, toss, partake, down, ingurgitate, sup, swallow

Origin of quaff

First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain
Related formsquaff·er, nounout·quaff, verb (used with object)un·quaffed, adjective

Synonyms for quaff

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quaff ON THESAURUS.COM
1. swallow, gulp, swig, guzzle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quaff

Contemporary Examples of quaff

  • But is his quaff really as provocative a fashion statement as Mel says it is?

    The Daily Beast logo
    The 14 Best Mel Remixes

    The Daily Beast Video

    July 16, 2010

Historical Examples of quaff

  • Strollers come from the town to quaff the freshening breeze.

  • I laugh with them, I quaff with them, I let them rob me; but that's all.

    The Trail of '98

    Robert W. Service

  • He must beware how he presume yet to quaff the volatile and fiery spirit.

    Zanoni

    Edward Bulwer Lytton

  • He handed Carpenter a glass and each drank off his cocktail at a quaff.

    The Bishop of Cottontown

    John Trotwood Moore

  • I rest under the shade of the corozo palm, and quaff the wine of the acrocomia.

    The War Trail

    Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for quaff

quaff

verb

to drink heartily or in one draught
Derived Formsquaffable, adjectivequaffer, noun

Word Origin for quaff

C16: perhaps of imitative origin; compare Middle Low German quassen to eat or drink excessively
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
Word Origin and History for quaff
v.

1510s (implied in quaffer), perhaps imitative, or perhaps from Low German quassen "to overindulge (in food and drink)," with -ss- misread as -ff-. Related: Quaffed; quaffing. The noun is attested by 1570s, from the verb.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper