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# the drink

phrase (noun phrase, «the drink»; often «on the drink», «the drink got him»); «drink» is also a noun (a drink, drinks) and verb (drink, drinks, drank, drunk, drinking)

«the drink» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (euphemism, Ireland, UK) alcohol as a problem; drinking too much; alcoholism.
2. (informal) the sea or a river or lake: «fell in the drink».
3. (ordinary) a liquid you drink.

### In the lessons

«The drink» lets people talk about someone's alcoholism quietly and without a hard label, especially in Ireland and the UK («He's fond of the drink», «The drink took him»). It can sound sad, gossipy or sympathetic. «In the drink» (into the water) is jokey.

### Examples

- (gossip, Ireland) Poor Seamus lost his job over the drink.
- (sad) Everyone knew the drink had a hold on her.
- They said the drink killed him in the end.
- (funny) The fisherman leaned too far and fell in the drink.
- (sport) The ball went straight in the drink at the seventh hole.
- (ordinary) Can I have a drink of water, please?
- (maths) Each drink costs £1.50, so three drinks cost £4.50.

### Note

Trap: «a drink» is just something to drink; «the drink» (with «the», talking about a person's life) usually means a problem with alcohol. «In the drink» means in the water. Past of drink: drank; past participle: drunk.