Meaning & use
caipirinhas
Last updated
“caipirinhas” is a form of “caipirinha”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
A Brazilian cocktail made from cachaça, lime, sugar and ice, usually served in a short glass.
Grammar: Countable: one drink is a caipirinha, and two or more are caipirinhas.
Patterns
- a glass of caipirinhas
- order caipirinhas
- make caipirinhas
We sat by the beach and drank cold caipirinhas all afternoon.
The bar lists three kinds of caipirinhas, including one made with passion fruit.
He learned to mix caipirinhas while traveling in Brazil.
Word forms
| singular | caipirinha |
|---|
Common combinations
- a round of caipirinhas
- The waiter brought a round of caipirinhas for the table.
- fresh caipirinhas
- They serve fresh caipirinhas with plenty of crushed ice.
- a pitcher of caipirinhas
- We shared a pitcher of caipirinhas before dinner.
- sip a caipirinha
- She sipped her caipirinha slowly and watched the sunset.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cocktail
- A general word for any mixed alcoholic drink; caipirinha names one specific Brazilian kind.
- daiquiri
- A similar lime-and-rum cocktail, but made with rum instead of cachaça.
Word family
- caipirinha noun
- The singular form, meaning one such drink.
Commonly confused: caipirinhas or capirinha?
caipirinhas vs capirinha
A common misspelling; the correct spelling has 'ai' after the c: caipirinha.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural form correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Caipirinhas' is the regular plural of the countable noun 'caipirinha', so it fits after 'two'. The other options either use the singular where a plural is needed or add an unnecessary word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “caipirinhas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.