vinegar
Americannoun
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vinegars
plural
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a sour liquid consisting of dilute and impure acetic acid, obtained by acetous fermentation from wine, cider, beer, ale, or the like: used as a condiment, preservative, etc.
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Pharmacology. a solution of a medicinal substance in dilute acetic acid, or vinegar.
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sour or irritable speech, manner, or countenance.
a note of vinegar in his voice.
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Informal. vigor; high spirits; vim.
noun
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a sour-tasting liquid consisting of impure dilute acetic acid, made by oxidation of the ethyl alcohol in beer, wine, or cider. It is used as a condiment or preservative
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sourness or peevishness of temper, countenance, speech, etc
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pharmacol a medicinal solution in dilute acetic acid
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informal vitality
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vinegar
1250–1300; Middle English vinegre < Old French, equivalent to vin wine + egre, aigre sour ( see eager)
Explanation
Vinegar is a liquid that's commonly used in cooking for its tart, acidic flavor. You're probably familiar with the taste of vinegar from things like salad dressing and pickles. While you might not want to drink a glass of vinegar, it's a useful ingredient in many recipes, both for its flavor, which varies depending on how it's made, and its tenderizing properties. Vinegar can also be used for cleaning, freshening laundry, killing pests, and taking the sting off a bite from a jellyfish or wasp, among many other uses. Vinegar means "sour wine," and that's exactly what it is— juice that's fermented way beyond wine.
Vocabulary lists containing vinegar
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:
Before she left, she filled multiple bags with pesto, pasta, Parmigiano reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar and salt, and made it last back home before she returned to Italy, this time in Florence, in February 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
In its defence the restaurant owner argued that just 60% of diners had opted to try the ants, while the rest were served alternatives like fermented vinegar and edible flowers.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health recommends soaking leafy produce and fuzzy fruits like peaches in a 10% white vinegar and 90% water mixture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The sauce is then finished with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chili paste along with a cornstarch slurry to thicken it.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Pour white vinegar into the glass of water by her bed.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
All my spices and rice paper noodles; canned goods, condiments, vinegars, oils.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Give me tart vinegars and grassy, unctuous oils — infused with almonds, pistachios and lots of fresh, bright herbs.
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
Ferments are among the most famous of all preserved preparations: kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, vinegars, fish sauces.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
At least once a month, I trek from the Westside to the San Gabriel Valley in search of ground pork at $2 a pound, Taiwanese cabbage and a wider selection of vinegars and hot sauces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2023
Any of the perfumed vinegars that are required to produce opalescence, when mixed with water, must contain some gum-resin, like the hygienic vinegar, as above.
From The Art of Perfumery And Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants by George William Septimus Piesse
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.
