juice

noun \ ˈjüs \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of juice

1 : the extractable fluid contents of cells or tissues

2 : a motivating, inspiring, or enabling force or factor

creative juices

3 : a medium (such as electricity or gasoline) that supplies power

4 a juices plural : the natural fluids of an animal body

b : the liquid or moisture contained in something

5 a : the inherent quality of a thing : essence

b : strength, vigor, vitality

pioneers … full of juice and jests
—Sinclair Lewis

6 slang : liquor

7 slang : exorbitant interest exacted of a borrower under the threat of violence

8 slang : influence, clout

—

juiceless

play \ˈjüs-ləs\ adjective

See juice defined for English-language learners

See juice defined for kids

Examples of juice in a Sentence

a glass of apple juice
a variety of fruit juices
the juice of a steak
gravy made with real beef juices
His camera ran out of juice because he forgot to replace the battery.

Recent Examples of juice from the Web

Also, American food is highly fortified — with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, USA TODAY, "Are you over 65 and take vitamins? They don't usually help — and sometimes they harm," 4 Apr. 2018
Pour the orange juice and soy sauce mixture into the pan, and continue to cook over a high heat until the liquid has been absorbed.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Red wine-braised brisket is ideal for Passover and beyond," 3 Apr. 2018
Suffield High School seniors will be making a pancake breakfast served with sausage, fruit, orange juice, coffee or tea.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windsor Locks Edition," 3 Apr. 2018
Vitamin C, while appreciated in orange juice, is actually at its best as one of the most powerful players in the skin-care game.

— tanisha pina, Allure, "Amazon Customers Are Obsessed With TruSkin Naturals' $20 Vitamin C Serum," 30 Mar. 2018
Almond milk can be used in place of orange juice in this recipe.

— Time, "Weekend Recipe: Wholesome Carrot, Apple and Oatmeal Muffins," 22 Mar. 2018
And the European Union has published a lengthy list of targets that includes everything from Kentucky bourbon to Florida orange juice.

— matt viser, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump tariffs could backfire on Mass. cranberry growers," 21 Mar. 2018
Launched by New England craft brewers about five years ago, hazy IPA — also called New England-style IPA or double dry hopped IPA — is often compared to (or ridiculed as) orange juice, both in appearance and taste.

— josh noel, chicagotribune.com, "Leading craft beer body (finally) acknowledges the hazy IPA craze," 20 Mar. 2018
The European Union on Friday published a 10-page retaliation plan with American products ranging from bourbon to cranberries, orange juice, steel, motorcycles and denim.

— william mauldin, WSJ, "U.S. Outlines Rules for Metal-Using Companies Seeking Tariff Exclusions," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'juice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of juice

Middle English jus, from Anglo-French, broth, juice, from Latin; akin to Old Norse ostr cheese, Greek zymē leaven, Sanskrit yūṣa broth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

juice

verb

Definition of juice

juiced; juicing

transitive verb

1 : to extract the juice of

2 : to add juice to

See juice defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of juice from the Web

The provisions that juice the economy are the more arcane items, like lowering corporate tax rates and ending double taxation of American companies’ foreign profits.

— karl rove, WSJ, "Tax Reform Isn’t a Popularity Contest," 4 Oct. 2017
Kanté likely wasn’t on the field for the final because French coach Didier Deschamps was looking to juice his offense against a Portuguese team built to absorb pressure.

— eric betts, Slate Magazine, "Mirror-World Messi," 4 May 2017
The Republican corporate tax plan will juice the economy, but without investments in infrastructure, the effect on America will be more akin to an energy drink than a protein shake.

— chris tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, "GOP tax plan is caffeine for economy, U.S. needs protein," 3 Nov. 2017
This morning’s tweets suggest that Trump is trying to use the numbers as political capital to pass a massive tax cut for the wealthy, by arguing that the plan would further juice the market.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "The stock market rally doesn’t mean what Donald Trump thinks it means.," 11 Oct. 2017
Like most plays of this genre, the long journey to the meaty portion often is tedious, which applies pressure on the leading characters — the playwright (Floyd Harden) and his actress wife (Carla Naragon) — to juice things up.

— tom titus, Daily Pilot, "On Theater: 'Death by Design' delightfully echoes Christie and Coward in Newport Beach," 28 Sep. 2017
Upcoming implementations of 5G networks should juice them again.

— Fortune, "InterDigital," 11 Sep. 2017
Ecuador is among the smallest producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, but the news is a symbolic setback for the 14-nation cartel, which has tried to juice the oil market by withholding oil supplies.

— benoit faucon, WSJ, "Ecuador to Pump Over OPEC Oil Limit," 18 July 2017
Finally, for a refreshing way to stay hydrated this summer, opt to juice the rind.

— rebecca shinners, Country Living, "Here's Why You Should Be Eating Watermelon Rind," 2 June 2017