al ‧ co ‧ hol W3 /ˈælkəhɒl $ -hɒːl/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: 'fine powder, liquid made by a purifying process' , from Old Spanish , from Arabic al-kuhul 'the powdered antimony (= a type of metal)' ]
1 . [uncountable] drinks such as beer or wine that contain a substance which can make you drunk:
I don’t drink alcohol anymore.
alcohol abuse (=when someone drinks too much)
people with alcohol problems (=people who drink too much)
2 . [uncountable and countable] the chemical substance in alcoholic drinks that can make you drunk, which is also used in other types of products:
low alcohol drinks
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THESAURUS
▪ alcohol drinks that contain alcohol – used especially in rules and warnings about alcoholic drinks:
We’re not allowed to serve alcohol to people under 18.
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low-alcohol wines (=not containing a lot of alcohol)
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He doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke.
▪ drink British English alcoholic drinks. Drink is more informal than alcohol :
Police officers smelled drink and breath-tested him.
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He blamed drink for the violence.
▪ liquor American English drinks that contain alcohol, especially strong alcoholic drinks:
The man was holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
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a liquor store
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He got used to drinking hard liquor (=strong alcoholic drinks) at an early age.
▪ booze informal alcoholic drinks:
The doctor told Jimmy to stay off the booze for a while.
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He tried to buy booze with a stolen credit card.
▪ spirits especially British English strong alcoholic drinks such as whisky or brandy:
We serve a wide range of wines, beers, and spirits.
▪ the hard stuff spoken informal strong alcoholic drinks:
He enjoyed a drop of the hard stuff (=he liked strong alcoholic drinks) .
▪ alcopops British English sweet fizzy drinks with alcohol in them:
The report showed that alcopops were the most popular drink for 17-year-olds.