quaff

verb

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\ ˈkwäf

, ˈkwaf

quaffed; quaffing; quaffs

Definition of quaff

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to drink (a usually alcoholic beverage) heartily or copiously At Fort William, goods were exchanged, bills were tallied, brandy was quaffed, songs were sung.— Will Ferguson Young Cheltenham ladies and gentlemen in striped shirts and Barbours quaffed their drinks and guffawed loudly.— John Ayto … quaff a flagon of nut-brown ale …— William Thackeray … curled up on her couch, wearing lounge pants, quaffing her third glass of wine …— Nathan Heller … and in the chimney-corner, they all four quaffed, and smoked, and prosed, and dozed, as they had done of old.— Charles Dickens … quaffing from massive steins of German beer while chatting it up with new friends.— Jeanne Potter

quaff

noun

plural quaffs

Definition of quaff (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an enjoyable beverage : a beverage (such as wine) that is quaffed or suitable for quaffing This pleasant quaff offers ripe peach and vanilla flavors and a good balance of bright acidity and moderate sweetness. — Wine Spectator … there is no better quaff with fried chicken than Champagne.— Florence Fabricant

2 : a hearty draft or gulp … a single sensuous quaff …— James Villas He lifted his glass, took a large quaff of the wine, swallowed quickly in his urgency to keep talking. — The Virginia Quarterly Review

Other Words from quaff Synonyms Quaff and Slug More Example Sentences Learn More about quaff

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Quaff and Slug

Nowadays, quaff has an old-fashioned, literary sound to it. For more contemporary words that suggest drinking a lot of something, especially in big gulps and in large quantity, you might try drain, pound, or slug. If you are a daintier drinker, you might say that you prefer to sip, imbibe or partake in the beverage of your choice. Quaff is by no means the oldest of these terms—earliest evidence of it in use is from the early 1500s, whereas sip dates to the 14th century—but it is the only one with the mysterious "origin unknown" etymology.

Examples of quaff in a Sentence

Verb We stopped at a bar and quaffed a few beers. after digging our car out of the snowdrift, we were ready to quaff some hot chocolate

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There is only one thing to do, of course, when events threaten to overtake you — fire up the coffee kettle and quaff some cups of stimulation. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: Roche suffers a setback in a cancer trial; Trump wants to shift Medicare B drugs to Part D," 10 May 2018 Then, on Friday, the Gemuetlichkeit games kick off the official start and the party doesn’t stop until the last pretzel is eaten and the last beer quaffed Sunday night. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week in Cincinnati: Sept. 16-22," 16 Sep. 2019 But the place is more than just a pretty spot to quaff creative beers. — Andre Meunier, oregonlive.com, "Experimentation, education served up in style at Labrewatory: Portland Breweries Series," 7 Aug. 2019 Mezcal, a globally popular spirit, can be quaffed in the villages where it is made. — The Economist, "Can tourism boost one of Mexico’s poorest states?," 25 July 2019 Zimmerman provides plenty of pointers on how to start out with minimal equipment and end up with a boozy reward similar to what Leif Eriksen might have quaffed. — Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bounty of the bees extends far beyond honey for your tea - to lotions, balms and even drinks," 16 July 2019 Bounding about from cupboard to fridge, the animal commences to eat all the food in the house and to quaff all the milk from the milk jug, the tea from the teapot, and the water from the tap. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "Mog the Cat and the Mysteries of Animal Subjectivity," 20 June 2019 In 1519, Montezuma II and the Spanish invader Hernán Cortés famously quaffed the cold, frothy brew at a feast in the capital Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City). — Franz Lidz, Smithsonian, "The Delicious, Ancient History of Chocolate and Vanilla," 11 July 2019 More than a few headed to the nearby Balls Brothers restaurant and bar and were seen quaffing prosecco and beer. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Deutsche Bank’s big overhaul leaves investors unimpressed," 8 July 2019

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