soda

American  

[soh-duh] / ˈsoʊ də /

noun

1. sodium hydroxide.

2. sodium monoxide.

3. sodium carbonate.

4. sodium, as in carbonate of soda.

5. soda water.

6. a drink made with soda water, flavoring, such as fruit or other syrups, and often ice cream, milk, etc.

7. soda pop.

8. (in faro) the card turned up in the dealing box before one begins to play.

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soda British  

/ ˈsəʊdə /

noun

1. any of a number of simple inorganic compounds of sodium, such as sodium carbonate ( washing soda ), sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda ), and sodium hydroxide ( caustic soda )

2. See soda water

3. a fizzy drink

4. the top card of the pack in faro

5. slang something easily done; a pushover

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Regionalisms

See soda pop.

Other Word Forms

• sodaless adjective

Etymology

Origin of soda

1550–60; (< Italian ) < Medieval Latin < Arabic suwwādah kind of plant; compare Middle French soulde, soude

Explanation

In many parts of the U.S., soda is a sweet, fizzy drink. There are also some places where you'd call soda "pop," a "soft drink," or "Coke" instead. While you may think of soda as something you order to drink at a restaurant, soda is also used for unflavored carbonated water, or seltzer, and for baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate. There's also sodium carbonate, or "washing soda," which is an ingredient in powdered soap and used to make some types of glass. This kind of soda was originally used to carbonate water, which led to the use of soda to mean "carbonated drink."

Example Sentences

In 1905, after a long day of playing, he left a stirrer in his cup of soda outside overnight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Natural gas is used by glass manufacturers to run their furnaces, which melt sand, soda ash, limestone and recycled glass into molten glass blobs which are then shaped into bottles.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

From low-carb ice cream and keto protein bars to "sugar-free" soda, erythritol has become a staple ingredient in many modern foods.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

Also blooming now: goldfields, purple grape soda lupine and owl’s clover.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

And the anger, it’s fizzling away, bubbles in soda, gone.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• drink