root beer

American  

noun

• root beers
  plural

1. a carbonated beverage flavored with syrup made from the extracted juices of roots, barks, and herbs that have been fermented with sugar and yeast.

---

root beer British  

noun

1. an effervescent drink made from extracts of various roots and herbs

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• root beers
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of root beer

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

---

Compare meaning

How does root-beer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• birch beer vs. root beer

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

root beer

“Is there an opener?” asks Godrich, who holds a bottle of fancy root beer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Such austerity only whetted my childhood fondness for concoctions that now make me wince: grape soda, root beer, orange Fanta, even a hideous insipid confection known as cream soda.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Twig's also makes its own-name range of fruit sodas, from root beer to black cherry, and orange to lime.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

“I also want to say that the first root beer float is going to taste so amazing and soon I’m going to be a free-range chicken and won’t be hooked up to anything.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

Around midnight, after celebrating the defeat of Mr. Lemoncello with Charles and Marjory over a few bottles of root beer, Andrew Peckleman still needed to sweep up around the motel.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---