an alcoholic liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grain, as barley, rye, or corn, and usually containing from 43 to 50 percent alcohol.
a drink of whiskey.
a word used in communications to represent the letter W.
1705–15; short for whiskybae < Irish uisce beatha or Scots Gaelic uisge beatha, ultimately translation of Medieval Latin aqua vitae literally, water of life; cf. usquebaugh
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Memorial Coliseum to sing along with Chris Stapleton as the country star compared a lover to Tennessee whiskey.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026
Even Scott Jennings, the foul-mouthed Kentuckian with a habit of picking Derby losers and rumored to occasionally sip Tennessee whiskey instead of Kentucky bourbon, has been caught trashing the president — off camera.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
It is a deal that improves trade conditions for Scotch and Irish whiskey being sold to America, as well as US bourbon and used casks coming into the UK market.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
The “United States will allow preferential duty access for whiskey produced in the United Kingdom,” U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Gang members, housewives, whiskey swillers, beat cops, politicians, and butchers: each had a role to play, an axe to grind, and a deep loyalty to their own in the community that was Packingtown.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
