social drinker

American  

noun

1. a person who drinks alcoholic beverages mainly in the company of others and who generally does not drink to excess.

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Other Word Forms

• social drinking
  noun

Etymology

Origin of social drinker

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

"But I'm not much of a social drinker anyway," she said.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

Like me, Emma was a social drinker, with a successful career and vibrant social life.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024

He told me he was a social drinker and was just taking a break from alcohol for health and fitness reasons.

From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2021

John Dunne was a gregarious man, a social drinker and a raconteur, and he and Didion worked up a sort of Penn and Teller routine.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 24, 2015

M. Venkata Krishnan Madras, India I am a 56-year-old male, mostly vegetarian, a non-smoker and only a social drinker.

From Time Magazine Archive