1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

John Barleycorn

noun

Definition of John Barleycornnext
as in alcohol
a distilled beverage that can make a person drunk she blamed John Barleycorn for the breakdown of their marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of John Barleycorn And when Traffic reconvened in 1970 to record their comeback album John Barleycorn Must Die, Mason wasn’t involved. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for John Barleycorn
  1. alcohol
  2. liquor
  3. drink
  4. booze
  5. rum
  6. spirits
Noun
  • Sales for many alcohol brands in the US market have been sluggish as consumers in recent years, particularly younger ones, moderate their drinking or seek out more budget-friendly options.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • But to jump to conclusions that the intent of this celebration was to drink alcohol and specifically beer was a leap.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of alcohol
Noun
  • Didn’t charge us a dime and Wende paid for all the food and liquor.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In place of a liquor shelf (the establishment sells only beer and cider), there’s a turntable and a library of vinyl—this evening’s up-tempo jazz struggled to compete with the din of a full house.
    — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of liquor
Noun
  • At Saksey’s, a cocktail bar in Detroit, the Sarti Spritz has become one of the bar’s top-selling drinks since hitting menus last month.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Serafina, the resort boutique, stocks everything from sunscreen, bathing suits, sandals, and cover-ups to grab-and-go snacks and drinks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of drink
Noun
  • The bigger shift is that booze doesn’t have to be the point anymore.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Abrams even owns a winery (Ev&Em) and a Rotten Tomatoes-for-booze company The Daily Pour.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of booze
Noun
  • Then there’s the Beyond Speyside series that launched last year with Jamaica Edition, a whisky that was aged for 12 years and then finished in rum barrels sourced from that Caribbean island nation.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Crisp Decisions is a cocktail of dark rum, apple cider, pineapple juice, lemon juice, honey syrup.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rum
Noun
  • There was a famous movie in the ’80s called ‘The Entity,’ a horror movie where a woman is visited by spirits and has sex with them.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • These adaptogenics also cost as much, if not more, than alcoholic spirits, such as Three Spirit, which incorporates ingredients such as guayusa (stimulating effects), damiana (aphrodisiac effects) and valerian (stress-relieving effects).
    — Esther Tseng, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of spirits

Browse Nearby Words

john
John Barleycorn
John Barleycorns
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“John Barleycorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/John%20Barleycorn. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All