drink

[ dringk ]

verb (used without object)

, drank [drangk] or (Nonstandard) drunk [druhngk]; drunk or, often, drank; drink·ing.

1. to take water or other liquid into the mouth and swallow it; imbibe.
2. to imbibe alcoholic drinks, especially habitually or to excess; tipple: They won't find jobs until they stop drinking.

   He never drinks.

   They won't find jobs until they stop drinking.

   Synonyms: tope

3. to show one's respect, affection, or hopes with regard to a person, thing, or event by ceremoniously taking a swallow of wine or some other drink (often followed by to ):

   They drank to his victory.

4. to be savored or enjoyed by drinking:

   a wine that will drink deliciously for many years.

verb (used with object)

, drank [drangk] or (Nonstandard) drunk [druhngk]; drunk or, often, drank; drink·ing.

1. to take (a liquid) into the mouth and swallow.

   Synonyms: quaff

2. to take in (a liquid) in any manner; absorb.
3. to take in through the senses, especially with eagerness and pleasure (often followed by in ):

   He drank in the beauty of the scene.

4. to swallow the contents of (a cup, glass, etc.).
5. to propose or participate in a toast to (a person, thing, or event):

   to drink one's health.

   Synonyms: toast

noun

1. any liquid that is swallowed to quench thirst, for nourishment, etc.; beverage.
2. liquor; alcohol.
3. excessive indulgence in alcohol:

   Drink was his downfall.

4. a swallow or draft of liquid; potion:

   She took a drink of water before she spoke.

5. Informal. Usually the drink. a large body of water, as a lake, ocean, river, etc.:

   His teammates threw him in the drink.

drink

/ drɪŋk /

verb

1. to swallow (a liquid); imbibe
2. tr to take in or soak up (liquid); absorb

   this plant drinks a lot of water

3. trusually foll byin to pay close attention (to); be fascinated (by)

   he drank in the speaker's every word

4. tr to bring (oneself into a certain condition) by consuming alcohol
5. troften foll byaway to dispose of or ruin by excessive expenditure on alcohol

   he drank away his fortune

6. intr to consume alcohol, esp to excess
7. whenintr, foll by to to drink (a toast) in celebration, honour, or hope (of)
8. drink someone under the table
   to be able to drink more intoxicating beverage than someone
9. drink the health of
   to salute or celebrate with a toast
10. drink with the flies informal.
    to drink alone

noun

1. liquid suitable for drinking; any beverage
2. alcohol or its habitual or excessive consumption
3. a portion of liquid for drinking; draught
4. the drink informal.
   the sea

Usage Note

As with many verbs of the pattern sing, sang, sung and ring, rang, rung, there is some confusion about the forms for the past tense and past participle of drink. The historical reason for this confusion is that originally verbs of this class in Old English had a past-tense singular form in a but a past-tense plural form in u. Generally the form in a has leveled out to become the standard past-tense form: We drank our coffee. However, the past-tense form in u, though considered nonstandard, occurs often in speech: We drunk our coffee. The standard and most frequent form of the past participle of drink in both speech and writing is drunk : Who has drunk all the milk? However, perhaps because of the association of drunk with intoxication, drank is widely used as a past participle in speech by educated persons and must be considered an alternate standard form: The tourists had drank their fill of the scenery.

Confusables Note

See drunk ( def ).

Derived Forms

• ˈdrinkable, adjective

Other Words From

• out·drink verb (used with object) outdrank or (Nonstandard) outdrunk outdrunk or, often, outdrank outdrinking
• o·ver·drink verb (used with object) overdrank or (Nonstandard) overdrunk overdrunk or, often, overdrank overdrinking

Word History and Origins

Origin of drink¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English drinken, Old English drincan; cognate with Dutch drinken, German trinken, Gothic drinkan, Old Norse drekka

Word History and Origins

Origin of drink¹

Old English drincan; related to Old Frisian drinka, Gothic drigkan, Old High German trinkan

Idioms and Phrases

• drive someone crazy (to drink)
• into the drink
• meat and drink to
• nurse a drink

Synonym Study

Drink, imbibe, sip refer to swallowing liquids. Drink is the general word: to drink coffee. Imbibe is formal in reference to actual drinking; it is used more often in the sense to absorb: to imbibe culture. Sip implies drinking little by little: to sip a cup of broth.

Example Sentences

Sometimes, after drinking too much Buchanan’s whiskey, their entourages got into fights.

From Los Angeles Times

The news comes after public health experts have warned that drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing the bird flu virus may lead to illness.

From Salon

She fondly remembers how her “teenage heartthrob” had brought out food and drinks to the 20 or so fans at the gig.

From BBC

The length of your fingers may hold a vital clue to your drinking habits, according to a new study.

From Science Daily

The recent spate of deaths has cast a spotlight on Vang Vieng - which is a notorious party town - and prompted renewed warnings from governments around the world about drinking spirits in Laos.

From BBC

Related Words

• consume
• drain
• gulp
• guzzle
• inhale
• quaff
• sip
• slurp
• suck