beer

noun

ˈbir 

1

: a carbonated, fermented alcoholic beverage that is usually made from malted cereal grain (especially barley), is flavored with hops, and typically contains less than a 5% alcohol content compare ale, craft beer, lager entry 1, malt liquor sense 2

2

: a carbonated nonalcoholic or a fermented slightly alcoholic beverage with flavoring from roots or other plant parts

birch beer

3

: fermented mash

4

: a drink of beer

Examples of beer in a Sentence

Would you like beer with dinner?

The pub brews its own beer.

I'll have a beer, please.

a couple of cold beers

a glass of birch beer

Recent Examples on the Web

Guests are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy complimentary beer provided by Fossil Cove Brewery, wine, soft drinks and light snacks. —Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2025

For decades, a classic Schlitz beer sign kept watch over the entryway to Satin Doll's Lounge, a beloved haven for jazz on Milwaukee's north side. —Mary Spicuzza, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025

There were bleachers for spectators, food trucks, a band playing live music, the Indy500 Gordon Pipers playing bagpipes, a kids zone and a beer garden for the adults. —Keenan Thompson, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025

This is all meant to be in good fun, after all, and good fun is much easier to come by with good beer. —Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ber, going back to Old English bēor, akin to Old High German bior "beer," Old Norse bjórr; perhaps all going back to a dissimilated form of Germanic *breura-, a nominal derivative of *brewwan- "to brew entry 1"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beer

• beer and skittles
• beer belly
• beer goggles
• beer gut
• beer mat
• beer pong
• craft beer
• ginger beer
• lager beer
• near beer
• root beer
• small beer
• spruce beer

Rhymes for beer

• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear
• here

Kids Definition

beer

noun

ˈbi(ə)r 

1

: an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops

2

: a nonalcoholic drink made from roots or other parts of plants

birch beer