alcohol

noun

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al·co·hol | \ ˈal-kə-ˌhȯl

Definition of alcohol

1a : ethanol especially when considered as the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors

b : drink (such as whiskey or beer) containing ethanol

c : a mixture of ethanol and water that is usually 95 percent ethanol

2 : any of a class of organic (see organic entry 1 sense 1b(2)) compounds that are analogous to ethanol and that are hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing alcohol Learn More About alcohol

Examples of alcohol in a Sentence

cough medicine that contains alcohol drinks that are high in alcohol There was a high level of alcohol in his blood at the time of the accident. a mixture of different alcohols The restaurant had a license to serve alcohol.

Recent Examples on the Web Fizz in your drink, with or without alcohol, is festive and fun — especially for spring and summer outdoors. — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 14 May 2022 Blair says in the memoir that her relationship with alcohol escalated in her teen years, in college, and into her 20s. — Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 11 May 2022 In response to the end of Fair Trade laws on alcohol in California and other price controls, Trader Joe’s needed new ways to grow profit and stay competitive. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 7 May 2022 De Rosen used pigment mixed with beeswax thinned with alcohol for his works. — New York Times, 5 May 2022 Ball lasted just two seasons in the NFL after being taken in the second round of the 2013 draft by Denver, largely because of his problems with alcohol. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2022 Rather than working on one specific molecule, the reactions are tracked as working with entire classes of related molecules, such as anything with an alcohol. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 3 May 2022 With locations in Mission Valley, Harbor Drive and La Jolla, Mexican restaurant Puesto is celebrating the occasion by welcoming its new beer, the Puesto Cinco de Mayo Pilsner with 5.5 percent alcohol created by veteran brew master Doug Hasker. — Roxana Becerril, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2022 Many were broken, some were filled with alcohol, and some still had small bits of unidentified tissue floating inside them. — The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2022 See More

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