seltzer
Americannoun
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(sometimes initial capital letter) a naturally effervescent mineral water containing common salt and small quantities of sodium, calcium, and magnesium carbonates.
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tap water that has been commercially filtered, carbonated, and bottled with no addition of minerals or mineral salts.
noun
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a natural effervescent water with a high content of minerals
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a similar synthetic water, used as a beverage
Etymology
Origin of seltzer
1735–45; < German Selterser named after Selters, a village near Wiesbaden; -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.
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
The soft drink and seltzer maker’s second-quarter revenue fell short of analysts’ forecasts.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023
Another noticeable difference is this: the infused beverage market appears to be moving away from putting all its eggs in one fruity seltzer basket.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2023
In the not-so-distant past, ordering a non-alcoholic drink at a bar or restaurant usually amounted to nothing more than seltzer combined with some sort of saccharine — often inexplicably blue — syrup.
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2023
Door took Coal’s seltzer, finishing the entire thing.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
