Tom Collins

American  

noun

1. a tall drink containing gin, lemon or lime juice, and carbonated water, sweetened and served with ice.

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Tom Collins British  

noun

1. a long drink consisting of gin, lime or lemon juice, sugar or syrup, and soda water

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Etymology

Origin of Tom Collins

First recorded in 1905–10; said to have been named after its inventor

Example Sentences

"If only we could," laughs Tom Collins when I ask him if food prices will be put up by farmers.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

A few months into Babb’s job volunteering for the FSA, Tom Collins invited Babb to a nearby café to have lunch with a writer he was collaborating with named John Steinbeck.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2024

“What’s at stake is the ability to continue to make wine in areas where smoke exposures might be more common,” said Tom Collins, a wine scientist at Washington State University.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2023

But the name Tom Collins, at least as far as the eponymous drink is concerned, belongs to no one at all.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2023

Mr. Tom Collins, M.P., had the reputation of being the noisiest and most slovenly man in the House of '73, and was commonly known as "Noisy Tom."

From Forty Years of 'Spy' by Ward, Leslie