beer

noun

ˈbir 

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

From its humble beginnings, the company grew by sticking to this mission of prioritizing quality beer above all else. —True Tamplin, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Working men congregated in party headquarters to smoke, drink beer, and play cards. —Bruce J. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024

And while that’s not a reason to abandon AI tools, a recent study should remind programmers that even reliable versions of the technology are still prone to bouts of weirdness—like claiming knee X-rays can prove someone drinks beer or eats refried beans. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Dec. 2024

As is usually the case, alcohol is still generally cheaper at home than in bars and restaurants, and beer remains lower-priced than many liquors. —Alexandra Byrne, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing beer

• beer and skittles
• beer belly
• beer goggles
• beer gut
• beer mat
• beer pong
• craft beer
• ginger beer
• lager beer
• near beer
• root beer
• small beer
• spruce beer

Kids Definition

beer

noun

ˈbi(ə)r 

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