liquor

1 of 2

noun

li·​quor ˈli-kər How to pronounce liquor (audio)
: a liquid substance: such as
a
: a usually distilled rather than fermented alcoholic beverage
b
: a watery solution of a drug

liquor

2 of 2

verb

liquored; liquoring ˈli-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce liquor (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to dress (something, such as leather) with oil or grease
2
: to make drunk with alcoholic liquor
usually used with up

intransitive verb

: to drink alcoholic liquor especially to excess
usually used with up

Examples of liquor in a Sentence

Noun He drinks beer and wine, but he doesn't drink any hard liquor. vodka, whiskey, and other liquors
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After feeling lucky while driving home from dinner, the woman stopped at a liquor store in Delmar to buy scratch-off tickets, the Maryland Lottery said in a Thursday, April 25, news release. Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024 New York would expand access to booze by allowing movie theaters to sell liquor and continuing to let people buy takeout cocktails from bars and restaurants under a series of measures unveiled Thursday. Maysoon Khan, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024 According to a news release from the Goodyear Police Department, he was booked into the Maricopa County Jail and also charged with a reckless manslaughter felony, and multiple misdemeanors: extreme DUI, reckless driving, and DUI for liquor/drugs/vapors. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024 Ramazzini eventually plans to introduce happy hour bites and cocktails once La Porta’s liquor license is approved, with hopes of attracting Mercedes-Benz employees and workers from the office park sandwiched between the restaurant and dealership. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024 With just five tables, some daily specials written on a dry-erase board and no liquor license, this isn’t a place for large parties. The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2024 All should be widely available in DFW liquor stores and, if the success of Shiner beer is any indication, around the state and nationally before long. Ryan J. Rusak, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024 According to police, Turner was hanging out with a group of people outside a liquor store on East 17th Street at 14th Avenue when a black sedan pulled up and a man got out. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024 Under the county’s bill, dispensaries must be at least 2,000 feet from any liquor store and at least 1,000 feet from another cannabis dispensary or micro dispensary. Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
This might be a vestige of his childhood, which was spent in a home with a teetotaling mother and a father who was raised hell-fire-and-brimstone Southern Baptist, but despite his general indifference to liquor, my dad has always kept a bottle of George Dickel in our pantry. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 25 July 2023 Nearly half of the country bans liquor sales on Christmas Day, according to VinePair, a cocktail culture website. Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2022 Since the pandemic began, bars and other premises selling alcohol have been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions, causing sales -- and liquor tax revenues -- to plummet in the world's third-largest economy. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 18 Aug. 2022 Luxury goods was a rare outperformer led by Hong Kong listed Prada +2.65% while online education, solar, semis, auto, and liquor sub-sectors were among the worst. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 The state’s new rules do not make changes to liquor sales. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Oct. 2021 The card that millions of people use to prove their identity to everyone from police officers to liquor store owners may soon be a thing of the past as a growing number of states develop digital driver's licenses. The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 May 2021 The card that millions of people use to prove their identity to everyone from police officers to liquor store owners may soon be a thing of the past as a growing number of states develop digital driver’s licenses. al, 8 May 2021 Chinese investors noted that a large European China mutual fund is increasing its exposure to liquor stock Kweichow Moutai. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liquor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English licour, from Anglo-French, from Latin liquor, from liquēre

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1502, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of liquor was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near liquor

Cite this Entry

“Liquor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liquor. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

liquor

noun
li·​quor
ˈlik-ər
1
: a liquid substance or solution
dye liquor
2
: a strong alcoholic beverage

Medical Definition

liquor

noun
li·​quor ˈlik-ər How to pronounce liquor (audio)
: a liquid substance: as
a
: a usually distilled rather than fermented alcoholic beverage
b
: a solution of a medicinal substance usually in water compare tincture

More from Merriam-Webster on liquor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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