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
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.
Pole, Pedal, Paddle on May 17 will bring together skiers, runners, kayakers, and cyclists for a multi-sport race from Mt. Bachelor to Bend, culminating at the finish line with an end-of-season bash with food, beer, and music. Anna Fiorentino, AFAR Media, 28 Feb. 2025 Flashback: The beer has some history — it was first brewed to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. Madalyn Mendoza, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025 Going from one daily unit to two (half a beer to a glass of wine) was roughly equivalent to two years of aging. New Atlas, 28 Feb. 2025 Jacinto, who recently survived a shooting in a high-prostitution neighborhood in East Oakland, was kicked out of the Richmond house party hours before it was shot up, and his DNA was found on a beer can at the scene of Mendoza-Mendoza’s killing. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beer

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beer. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on beer

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