beer

noun

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 That’s the beer talking … In honor of St. Patty’s Day on Sunday, know your Irish beer lingo, boy-o and girl-o: Dry Stout: Dark, roasted malts, moderate bitterness, low alcohol. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 Entry is free but food, beer and booze, and travel costs are not. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 The brewing of beer has a fascinating scientific, culinary, and sociological history, with women serving as brewmasters for centuries. Christie Taylor, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Married guys gather at someone’s house to play a parlor game, drink beer and talk. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Before shuttle buses were available at the Salt River, crowds would arrive in truckloads, bringing their own tubes and cases of beer to float down the river. Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 The ad features bar-goers caring more about beer than meeting Beckham. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 There’s a full bar with craft cocktails, wine and beer. Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Nitro Stout, an American stout beer with a 5.6% ABV, enjoyed with a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie. Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of beer was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near beer

Cite this Entry

“Beer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beer. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beer

noun
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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