beer

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An alcoholic drink fermented from starch material, commonly barley malt.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bir

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbɪɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

countable
A variety of the above beverages.
uncountable
An alcoholic drink fermented from starch material, commonly barley malt; often with hops or some other substance (like gruit) to impart a bitter flavor.
countable
A glass, bottle, or can of any of the above beverages.
uncountable
A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc.
uncountable
A solution produced by steeping plant materials in water or another fluid.

verb

informalintransitive
To drink beer.
informaltransitive
To give beer to (someone).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An alcoholic drink fermented from starch material, commonly barley malt; often with hops or some other substance (like gruit) to impart a bitter flavor.

Used this way, beer is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Slightly negative
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Moderate
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Critical or judgemental
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use beer

“Beer is brewed all over the world.”noun
“Can I buy you a beer?”noun
“I haven't tried this beer before.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Alcoholic / general

cold beer

Variety / glass

beer bottle

Other combinations

small beerroot beerbeer cansbeer hallbeer gardendrink beer

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

beer bottlenounCompound term
A bottle that holds beer.
beer cannounCompound term
A can that holds beer.
beer drinkernounCompound term
Someone whose favorite drink is beer or ale.
beer gardennounCompound term
Tavern with an outdoor area (usually resembling a garden) where beer and other alcoholic drinks are served.
beer glassnounCompound term
A relatively large glass for serving beer.
beer hallnounCompound term
A hall or barroom featuring beer and (usually) entertainment.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Keep learning “beer” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.

Know the meaning? Practice vocabulary in real situations.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.