From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishalcoholal‧co‧hol /ˈælkəhɒl $ -hɒːl/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 [uncountable]DRUNK drinks such as beer or wine that contain a substance which can make you drunk I don’t drink alcohol anymore. alcohol abuse (=when someone drinks too much) people with alcohol problems (=people who drink too much)2 [countable, uncountable]HCE the chemical substance in alcoholic drinks that can make you drunk, which is also used in other types of products low alcohol drinksTHESAURUSalcohol drinks that contain alcohol – used especially in rules and warnings about alcoholic drinksWe’re not allowed to serve alcohol to people under 18.low-alcohol wines (=not containing a lot of alcohol)He doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke. drink British English alcoholic drinks. Drink is more informal than alcoholPolice officers smelled drink and breath-tested him.He blamed drink for the violence.liquor American English drinks that contain alcohol, especially strong alcoholic drinksThe man was holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and a cigarette in the other.a liquor storeHe got used to drinking hard liquor (=strong alcoholic drinks) at an early age.booze informal alcoholic drinksThe doctor told Jimmy to stay off the booze for a while.He tried to buy booze with a stolen credit card.spirits especially British English strong alcoholic drinks such as whisky or brandyWe serve a wide range of wines, beers, and spirits.the hard stuff spoken informal strong alcoholic drinksHe enjoyed a drop of the hard stuff (=he liked strong alcoholic drinks).alcopops British English sweet fizzy drinks with alcohol in themThe report showed that alcopops were the most popular drink for 17-year-olds.
Examples from the Corpus
alcohol• Most of the red-faced men are too spent from overwork and alcohol to be a problem.• Women are more affected by alcohol than men.• He doesn't drink alcohol or smoke.• Ted doesn't drink alcohol anymore.• low alcohol wines• Children filed into school gymnasiums reeking of rubbing alcohol to get their shots.• The law does not allow us to sell alcohol to persons under 18 years of age.• We're not allowed to serve alcohol to people under 18.• She could smell alcohol on his breath.• I don't know what his diagnosis was but I don't think either of them even vaguely suspected alcohol.• Carlton then took a small scoopful of concrete and shook it up with alcohol to see how much air was dissolved.alcohol problems• An alcohol problems voluntary agency helps Mrs F who has become involved in a family self-help group.• Yet many people with drugs and alcohol problems move frequently between areas, and may have no settled residence.• Some kinds of alcohol problems may have a genetic etiology; others are environmentally based.• According to the guidelines, only a small proportion of people with drug or alcohol problems have any contact with social services.Origin alcohol (1500-1600) Medieval Latin “fine powder, liquid made by a purifying process”, from Old Spanish, from Arabic al-kuhul “the powdered antimony (= a type of metal)” 