(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.
a natural effervescent water with a high content of minerals
a similar synthetic water, used as a beverage
1735–45; < German Selterser named after Selters, a village near Wiesbaden; see -er 1
How does seltzer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hydrating, bright and occasionally punchy, it makes a surprisingly satisfying soda or seltzer replacement.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 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
I drank seltzer at weddings and took my 83-year-old father to stressful doctors’ appointments without later unwinding with a martini.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2024
But do most adaptogenic drink consumers see these beverages as explicitly medicinal, or are they simply weighing their options and picking something less altering than a beer and more novel than a seltzer?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2024
Mom took her laptop into her bedroom and came out only to refill her seltzer glass.
From "George" by Alex Gino
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
In other "How is everyody doing?" news this month, beverage brand Truly Hard Seltzer announced an "ultra-limited edition" Hot Wing Sauce flavored edition of their product.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2024
So did the memory of one of his close friends, Oscar Seltzer, a medic who was killed on Mr. Raucher’s 24th birthday, in 1952, while caring for a wounded soldier during the Korean War.
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
Seltzer reassured her: “You speak unfiltered, so that’s how we get to the core.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
“Maybe not you, but what about us Jews?” said Dr. Seltzer, my fathers close friend.
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
What’s Next: The company has also expanded into newer categories, including low-alcohol products like hard seltzers and nonalcoholic beverages such as Hiyo, a tonic drink infused with botanical and functional ingredients.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 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
Detractors of hemp-based products, which range from gummies and topical creams to seltzers and tinctures, argue that these goods have leveraged legal "loopholes" and that they are unregulated.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2023
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 Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
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.
