seltzer
noun
a naturally effervescent mineral water containing common salt and small quantities of sodium, calcium, and magnesium carbonates.
seltzer
American
[selt-ser]
/ ˈsɛlt sər /
noun
-
seltzers
plural
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) a naturally effervescent mineral water containing common salt and small quantities of sodium, calcium, and magnesium carbonates.
-
tap water that has been commercially filtered, carbonated, and bottled with no addition of minerals or mineral salts.
Seltzer
British
/ ˈsɛltsə /
noun
-
a natural effervescent water with a high content of minerals
-
a similar synthetic water, used as a beverage
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of seltzer
1735–45; < German Selterser named after Selters, a village near Wiesbaden; see -er 1
Compare meaning
How does seltzer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
You can call carbonated, fizzy water seltzer. Sometimes people who are trying to drink less soda enjoy drinking seltzer instead. Seltzer is simply water with bubbles added, via dissolved carbon dioxide gas. You can also call seltzer "soda water," "sparkling water," or "club soda." In the U.K., seltzer is considered so old-fashioned that it's nearly obsolete, but it's common in the U.S. Soda water is the original name, from the sodium that was once added. Seltzer comes from the German town Selters, famous for its natural mineral springs.
Vocabulary lists containing seltzer
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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:
In between trading impromptu quips, Martin and Lewis overturned tables, cut ties, sheared suits and spritzed seltzer on one and all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
It has supported countless cups of seltzer, glasses of tomato juice and mugs of tea, keeping our marble-top table free of unsightly rings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
It’s a top-five hard seltzer brand nationwide, and has recently begun showing up in Circana scan-data snapshots of the top 25 brands across all beer in some channels.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
Other highlights among Jons aisles are Borjomi, a Georgian seltzer that’s available in L.A. only at international grocery stores like Jons and Super King.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024
Jule peered into the sack he held out: four Crunchie bars, Hula Hoops, Swedish Fish, two bottles of seltzer, and a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Mr. Joseph, an educational-game consultant and a co-founder of the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum, offers a jumble of anecdotes and reflections about Sondheim’s creations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
“MECFS researchers and advocates have been managing to do the impossible with next to nothing, and we will continue to do so,” Seltzer said.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2025
“We’re very courageous, you and I, because we don’t stop talking,” Seltzer told Quaizar.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
People like Seltzer are understandably wary of being folded into that category—accused of having some moral failing rather than a genuine illness.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2023
“A system? Is that what you call it, Kostas? He's locked up hundreds of thousands of Jews in Lodz and sealed off even more in Warsaw,” said Dr. Seltzer, his voice soaked with desperation.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Craft beer and hard seltzers fizzled out after a few years of explosive growth, for instance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Orange juice had even lost the battle for shelf space to seltzers and energy drinks and kombucha and more.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Constellation has pushed into faster-growing categories, including low-alcohol offerings like hard seltzers and nonalcoholic drinks such as Hiyo, a botanical-infused tonic.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
Lower-priced wines are doing particularly badly as young adults favor craft beers, seltzers, kombucha, ciders and other flavored beverages with little or no alcohol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Carbonated waters are to be especially avoided, such as soda, seltzers, Preblauer, Geisshubler, and acid waters; also champagne and beer, heavy Italian, Spanish, and English wines.
From The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; a study in hygiene by Anna M. (Anna Mary) Galbraith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
