I. booze /buːz/ BrE AmE noun [singular, uncountable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Middle Dutch ; Origin: Middle Flemish busen ]
informal alcoholic drink:
a bottle of booze
on the booze
He’s been on the booze (=drinking too much alcohol) for five days.
off the booze
My husband is now off the booze (=no longer drinking too much alcohol) and he is a different person.
• • •
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.
|
low-alcohol wines (=not containing a lot of alcohol)
|
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.
|
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.
|
a liquor store
|
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.
|
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.
II. [m2]See main entry: ↑ boozing