imbiber

im·bibe

I0043800 (ĭm-bīb′)v. im·bibed, im·bib·ing, im·bibes v.tr.1. To drink.2. To absorb or take in as if by drinking: "The whole body ... imbibes delight through every pore" (Henry David Thoreau).3. To receive and absorb into the mind: "Gladstone had ... imbibed a strong prejudice against Americans" (Philip Magnus).4. Obsolete To permeate; saturate.v.intr. To drink alcoholic beverages.

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[Middle English embiben, to soak up, saturate, from Latin imbibere, to drink in, imbibe : in-, in; see in-² + bibere, to drink; see pō(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

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im·bib′er n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

imbiber - a person who drinks alcoholic beverages (especially to excess)juicer, toper, drinkerconsumer - a person who uses goods or servicesbar fly - a drinker who frequents barsale drinker, beer drinker - someone whose favorite drink is beer or aledrunk - someone who is intoxicateddrunk, drunkard, inebriate, rummy, sot, wino - a chronic drinkerguzzler - someone who drinks heavily (especially alcoholic beverages); "he's a beer guzzler every night"moderationist - a moderate drinker (as opposed to a total abstainer)bacchanal, bacchant, drunken reveler, drunken reveller - someone who engages in drinking boutssocial drinker, tippler - someone who drinks liquor repeatedly in small quantitiescarouser, wassailer - someone who enjoys riotous drinking