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What are Drink and Beverage? Differences between Drink and Beverage

Both Drink and Beverage mean "a liquid for consumption", but each word is used in different contexts. In the following article, let's discover the definitions, meanings, and distinguish the usage of Drink and Beverage with PREP!

Differences between 2 words Drink and Beverage in English

I. What is Drink?
II. What is Beverage?
III. Differences between Drink and Beverage
IV. Exercise to distinguish Drink and Beverage
1. 1. Exercise: Fill in Drink or Beverage in the blanks
2. 2. Answer

I. What is Drink?

In English, Drink is pronounced as /drɪŋk/ and functions as a noun and a verb.

Drink acts as a noun, meaning: (an amount of) liquid that is taken into the body through the mouth. For example: They'd had no food or drink for two days.
Drink acts as a verb, meaning: to take liquid into the body through the mouth. For example: Jack drank three glasses of water.

Idioms and phrasal verbs are used with Drink:

No.	Idioms and phrasal verbs are used with Drink	Meaning	Example
1	Drink like a fish	drink excessive amounts of alcohol	It's not a good idea to drink like a fish, especially if you've got to be at work early in the morning.
2	Drink someone under the table	consume as much alcohol as one's drinking companion without becoming as drunk	I've been known to have a few beers, but John can drink me under the table.
3	Drink (something) in	watch or listen to something with eager pleasure or interest	Lena drank in the words of her leader.
4	Drink to something	(of two or more people) to hold your glasses up, often touch them together, and then drink from them to express your respect or good wishes for something or someone	"Here's to a prosperous future." "I'll drink to that!".
5	Drink (something) up	to finish your drink completely	Drink up! It's time to go.
6	Mixed drink	a drink in which two or more ingredients are mixed	At the party, they served a variety of mixed drinks, from fruity cocktails to classic martinis.
7	Soft drink	a cold, usually sweet, drink that does not contain alcohol	I prefer to have a soft drink with my meal rather than something sugary.
8	Pre-drink	drink alcohol, especially in large quantities, before going out socially	We decided to have a pre-drink at home before heading to the bar.
9	Long drink		A long drink is perfect for a hot summer day.
10	Drink-driving	the offence of driving a vehicle with an excess of alcohol in the blood; drunk driving	Drink-driving is a serious offense that can have severe consequences.
11	Drink machine	a machine that sells drinks	The school installed a new drink machine that can provide students with over a hundred different beverages.
12	Drinking problem	a situation in which someone regularly drinks too much alcohol and finds it hard to stop	Peter has a drinking problem that affects his health.
13	Energy drink	a cold drink that contains a lot of sugar and caffeine and that is said to give you energy	After feeling tired all day, I grabbed an energy drink to give me a boost.

Explore more idioms, phrasal verbs, and words associated with Drink here!

Synonyms of Drink:

Synonyms of Drink	Meaning	Example
Have /hæv/	to drink something	I don't let the children have sweet fizzy drinks.
Sip /sɪp/	to drink a liquid slowly by taking in small amounts at a time	Anna sipped the tea carefully because it was hot.
Gulp (down) /ɡʌlp daʊn/	quickly eat or drink it all by swallowing large quantities of it at once	Stop gulping your water!
Slurp /slɜːrp/	eat or drink (something) with a loud sloppy sucking noise	The children were eating pizza and slurping lemonade.
Quaff /kwɑːf/	drink (something, especially an alcoholic drink) heartily	Jack quaffed his cordial and sat in silence.
Imbibe /ɪmˈbaɪb/	drink (alcohol)	Imbibing down the pub, are we?

II. What is Beverage?

In English, Beverage is pronounced as /ˈbev.ɚ.ɪdʒ/ and functions as a noun, meaning: any potable liquid, especially one other than water, as tea, coffee, beer, or milk. For example:

Hot beverages include tea, coffee, and hot chocolate.
We do not sell alcoholic beverages.

Collocations used with Beverage:

Collocations used with Beverage	Example
Alcoholic beverage	Anna ordered a cocktail, her favorite alcoholic beverage, at the bar.
Beverage container	Peter grabbed a beverage container from the fridge before heading out for a hike.
Beverage industry	The beverage industry is constantly innovating to meet changing consumer preferences.
Carbonated beverage	Soda is a popular carbonated beverage Enjoyed by people of all ages.
Malt beverage	John prefers the rich flavor of a malt beverage over other types of beer.

Synonyms of Beverage:

Synonyms of Beverage	Meaning	Example
Drink /drɪŋk/	(an amount of) liquid that is taken into the body through the mouth	Water is the most essential drink for human survival.
Libation /laɪˈbeɪʃən/	a drink poured out as an offering to a deity	As a gesture of respect, they poured a libation of wine at the altar.
Liquid /ˈlɪkwɪd/	a substance that flows freely but is of constant volume, having a consistency like that of water or oil	The spill spread quickly across the floor, soaking everything in its path with liquid.
Liquor /ˈlɪkər/	alcoholic drink, especially distilled spirits	Maria mixed a cocktail using her favorite liquor, vodka, and some fruit juice.

III. Differences between Drink and Beverage

Above, we have explored an overview of Drink and Beverage. So, how can we accurately differentiate between the two words? Let's follow PREP and see the table below!

Differences between Drink and Beverage	Drink	Beverage
Part of speech	Noun and verb.	Noun.
Meaning	Noun: (an amount of) liquid that is taken into the body through the mouth (in daily communication)	Any potable liquid, especially one other than water, as tea, coffee, beer, or milk (in formal, comprehensive context)
Meaning	Verb: to take liquid into the body through the mouth	❌
Example	I like to have a hot drink at bedtime.	What's your favorite beverage?
Example	Anna drank 2 glasses of water.	What's your favorite beverage?

IV. Exercise to distinguish Drink and Beverage

To fully understand the correct usage and distinguish the differences between Drink and Beverage, quickly complete the exercise below with PREP!

1. Exercise: Fill in Drink or Beverage in the blanks

Lisa took a long sip of her favorite _______, a strawberry smoothie.
Jack prefers to _______water throughout the day to stay hydrated.
The café offers a wide selection of _______, including coffee, tea, and juices.
When hosting a party, it's essential to provide a variety of _______ to suit everyone's preferences.
After a tiring workout, she reached for a cold sports _______ to replenish her electrolytes.
John likes to _______herbal tea before bedtime to help him relax.
The flight attendant served _______ to the passengers shortly after takeoff.
Soft drinks, alcoholic _______, and water are all available options on the menu.
I could really go for a hot _______ on this chilly evening, maybe a cup of hot chocolate.
They decided to stop at the café and grab a quick _______ before heading to the movies.

2. Answer

1 - Drink	2 - Drink	3 - Beverages	4 - Beverages	5 - Drink
6 - Drink	7 - Beverages	8 - Beverages	9 - Drink	10 - Drink

PREP hopes that through this article, PREP has helped you grasp the meaning, usage, and differences between Drink and Beverage. Let’s follow PREP for more quality English knowledge updates!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.