alcohol

3 definitions • 4 examples

a clear liquid that can make you drunk, also used as a solvent (= a substance that dissolves another) and in fuel and medicines:

Most wines contain around twelve percent alcohol.

I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

an alcohol-free lager

a liquid that is produced in making wine, beer, and liquor and that can cause changes in behavior in people who drink it:

Most wines contain about 12% alcohol.

Alcohol is also any of a group of similar chemical substances used as solvents (= substances that dissolve others) and in fuel and medicines.