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

The supermarket fixture known for its red-capped spices traces its roots to founder Willoughby McCormick, who at 25 years old started selling root beer, flavoring extracts, and fruit syrups door-to-door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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

For the front awning, he used sassafras, a semi-soft wood that darkens with age, smells like root beer when you cut it, and reminds him of the sassafras tea he drank as a kid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2023

Still, it's hard to ruin pizza and root beer and ice cream, and once the eating starts, things loosen up.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements