teetotal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to, advocating, or pledged to total abstinence from intoxicating drink.
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Informal. absolute; complete.
verb (used without object)
adjective
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of, relating to, or practising abstinence from alcoholic drink
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dialect complete
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of teetotal
Reduplicated variant of total, coined by R. Turner, of Preston, England, in 1833, in a speech advocating total abstinence from alcoholic drinks
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:
Zero-alcohol beers helped drive sales last year, the company said, as the teetotal portfolio, led by Corona Cero, surged 34% on year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
He is teetotal and a practising Muslim who has spoken openly about his observance of Ramadan.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025
Mr Sunak, who is teetotal, has previously expressed a passion for the fizzy drink.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2023
He has been drug-free, teetotal and vegan since he was 30.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2020
"No, thank you, I'm teetotal," he said to the servant in answer to the invitation.
From The Sailor by J. C. Snaith
Mantz and his training partner, Clayton Young, are teetotaling former BYU teammates and missionaries who finished in the top 10 in the Paris Olympics marathon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2025
Griffith’s teetotaling ways might have been mainstream in the 1920s, but following Prohibition’s repeal in December 1933, they made him an anachronism among baseball owners.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023
This year, more demand for sober revelry has led some bars and restaurants to offer teetotaling alternatives to the festivities, as well as a greater focus on Irish food and music.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
Indeed, the image Cawthorn was trying to construct of himself on the "Warrior Poet Society" podcast was as a teetotaling naif who cannot believe the deviance he's exposed to in the big city.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2022
Despite its Mormon majority, Utah is far from a teetotaling state.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2021
The teetotalling revolutionaries operated for years out of a second-floor office, above a liquor store, far from the diplomatic quarter.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 10, 2019
Does Paulson, the devout Christian Scientist, the teetotalling college football star, have some secret affiliation with 60s radicalism?
From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2017
Too many teetotalling whimsy cats in the scene for my liking.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2012
Playing a steady, nerveless game, the 34-year-old teetotalling saloon owner came from behind to catch American Walker Cup Player Bill Campbell and beat him 2 and 1 in the 36-hole final round.
From Time Magazine Archive
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