DRINK


Meaning of DRINK in English

I. drink 1 S1 W2 /drɪŋk/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense drank /dræŋk/, past participle drunk /drʌŋk/)

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ drink , ↑ drinker , ↑ drinking , ↑ drunk , ↑ drunkenness ; adjective : ↑ drunk , ↑ drunken ; verb : ↑ drink ; adverb : ↑ drunkenly ]

[ Language: Old English ; Origin: drincan ]

1 . [intransitive and transitive] to take liquid into your mouth and swallow it:

You should drink plenty of water.

What would you like to drink?

Take a seat while I get you something to drink.

She filled the glass and drank.

2 . [intransitive] to drink alcohol, especially regularly or too much:

He’s been drinking heavily since his wife died.

I don’t drink.

Don’t drink and drive.

My flatmate Cherry drinks like a fish (=regularly drinks a lot of alcohol) .

3 . drink yourself silly/into a stupor/to death etc to drink so much alcohol that you become very drunk or unconscious, or die:

If he goes on this way he’ll drink himself to death.

4 . drink somebody under the table to drink more alcohol than someone but not feel as ill as them:

He could drink nearly anyone under the table.

5 . What are you drinking? spoken used to offer to buy someone a drink, especially in a ↑ pub

6 . drink sb’s health British English to wish someone good health before having an alcoholic drink

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THESAURUS

▪ sip ( also take a sip ) to drink something very slowly

▪ slurp informal to drink something in a noisy way

▪ gulp something down ( also down something ) to drink all of something very quickly

▪ knock something back informal to drink all of an alcoholic drink very quickly

▪ swig ( also take/have a swig ) informal to drink something quickly with large mouthfuls, especially from a bottle

▪ swallow to make food or drink go down your throat and towards your stomach:

She swallowed the bitter medicine instead of spitting it out.

drink something ↔ in phrasal verb

to look at, listen to, feel, or smell something in order to enjoy it:

She just sat there, drinking in the atmosphere.

drink to something phrasal verb

1 . to wish someone success, good luck, good health etc before having an alcoholic drink:

Let’s drink to your success in your new job.

2 . I’ll drink to that! spoken used to agree with what someone has said

drink up phrasal verb

to drink all of something

drink something ↔ up

Drink up your milk.

II. drink 2 S1 W2 BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ drink , ↑ drinker , ↑ drinking , ↑ drunk , ↑ drunkenness ; adjective : ↑ drunk , ↑ drunken ; verb : ↑ drink ; adverb : ↑ drunkenly ]

1 . [countable] an amount of liquid that you drink, or the act of drinking something

drink of

Have a drink of water.

He took a drink of his coffee.

2 . [uncountable and countable] liquid that you can drink:

What’s your favourite drink?

food and drink companies

3 . [uncountable and countable] an alcoholic drink:

He’d obviously had a few drinks.

Let’s go for a drink.

4 . [uncountable] the habit of drinking too much alcohol, in a way that is very bad for your health:

The marriage ended because of her husband’s drink problem (=he drank too much alcohol) .

They had driven him to drink (=made him start drinking too much alcohol regularly) .

After her retirement from the stage she took to drink (=started drinking too much alcohol) .

5 . drinks [plural] British English a social occasion when you have alcoholic drinks and sometimes food

for drinks

Don’t forget we’re invited to the Jones’ for drinks on Sunday.

6 . the drink old-fashioned the sea, a lake, or another large area of water

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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1, 2, & 3)

■ verbs

▪ have a drink (=drink something, especially an alcoholic drink)

Let’s go and have a drink.

▪ take a drink

He took another long drink of water.

▪ go for a drink (=go to a pub or bar)

Why don’t we go for a drink after work?

▪ buy/get somebody a drink (=in a pub or a bar)

It’s my turn to buy you a drink.

▪ pour (somebody) a drink

She got out two glasses and poured us a drink.

▪ make (somebody) a drink (=make tea or coffee)

Shall I make you a hot drink?

▪ sip your drink (=drink it in very small amounts)

Connie was sitting at the table, sipping her drink slowly.

▪ down your drink (=drink it very quickly)

He downed his drink and stood up.

■ adjectives

▪ a soft drink (=which does not contain alcohol)

Would you like some wine, or a soft drink?

▪ an alcoholic drink (=containing alcohol)

Beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks will be available.

▪ a fizzy drink British English , a carbonated drink American English (=with bubbles of gas)

Dentists have warned that sweet fizzy drinks are bad for children’s teeth.

▪ a hot/warm drink

Come inside and I’ll make you a hot drink.

▪ a cool/cold drink

They were all out in the garden, sipping cool drinks.

▪ a refreshing drink (=making you feel less tired or hot)

Enjoy a refreshing drink in our lakeside café.

▪ a stiff/strong drink (=a drink with a lot of strong alcohol)

He was in need of a stiff drink to calm himself down.

▪ a relaxing/leisurely drink (=that you drink in a slow relaxed way)

The hotel terrace is an ideal place to enjoy a relaxing drink.

▪ a diet drink/a low-calorie drink (=containing less sugar than ordinary ones)

People are buying more and more diet drinks.

▪ a celebratory drink (=in order to celebrate something)

After winning the game, they went out for a celebratory drink.

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ drink something that you drink:

‘Would you like a drink?’ ‘Yes, I’ll have a lemonade.’

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They had a few drinks in a local bar.

▪ something to drink especially spoken a drink:

Can I get you something to drink?

▪ soft drink a cold drink that does not contain alcohol, especially one that is sweet and has bubbles in it:

Coca-Cola and other soft drinks

▪ toast a drink, usually of wine, that a group of people have on a special occasion, for example to celebrate something or wish someone luck in the future:

At midnight they all drank a toast to the New Year.

▪ beverage /ˈbev ə rɪdʒ/ formal especially written a drink – often used on ↑ menu s and signs:

Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage.

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the list of beverages

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.