drinking

[ dring-king ]

adjective

1. suitable or safe to drink:

   drinking water.

2. used in drinking:

   a drinking glass.

3. addicted to or indulging excessively in alcohol:

   Is he a drinking man?

4. of or relating to the act of drinking, especially the drinking of alcohol:

   a drinking companion.

noun

1. habitual and excessive consumption of alcohol:

   His drinking caused him to lose his job.

Other Words From

• un·drinking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drinking¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; drink, -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Their findings, published in Environmental Pollution, examined the relationship between kidney cancer rates and arsenic levels in drinking water across 240 Texas counties.

From Science Daily

The 28-year-old, from Orpington, south-east London, was one of a number of people taken to hospital after drinking alcohol suspected to have been laced with methanol in the backpacking hotspot Vang Vieng.

From BBC

But it's still not the first choice of beverage in the vast swathes of north India, where drinking tea is an intrinsic part of the culture.

From BBC

After drinking, elephants were estimated to have walked an average of 16.5 km from the toxic waterholes and died within about 88 hours of exposure.

From Science Daily

Mr Crew, who died aged 74, reportedly told nurses "I want to die today" before drinking water laced with barbiturates under the supervision of Dignitas.

From BBC

Related Words

• expenditure
• utilization