Meaning & use
liquid
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A substance that flows freely and takes the shape of its container, such as water, milk, or oil.
Grammar: Countable when talking about a type: a clear liquid; uncountable when talking about the substance in general: add liquid.
Patterns
- a liquid
- liquids
- liquid + verb
Water is a liquid at room temperature.
The recipe says to add the liquid slowly while stirring.
The doctor told him to drink plenty of liquids.
adjectivebefore a noun
In a form that flows freely, not solid or gas.
Grammar: Used before a noun: liquid soap; also after linking verbs: it became liquid.
Patterns
- liquid + noun
- become liquid
- turn into liquid
The chocolate melted and became liquid.
She prefers liquid detergent for washing clothes.
The metal turns liquid at high temperatures.
adjectivenot comparablefinancebusiness
Easily changed into cash; having money available rather than tied up in property.
Grammar: Used mainly in business and finance; no comparative form.
Patterns
- liquid assets
- highly liquid
- remain liquid
The company sold some property to stay liquid.
Banks must keep enough liquid assets to meet withdrawals.
After the sale, he had more liquid cash to invest.
Word forms
| plural | liquids |
|---|
Common combinations
- liquid assets
- The firm's liquid assets include cash and government bonds.
- clear liquid
- A clear liquid came out of the wound.
- liquid soap
- There is liquid soap in the bathroom.
- turn into liquid
- When heated, the solid turns into liquid.
- highly liquid
- The market is highly liquid, so shares sell quickly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fluid
- Fluid is a more technical word that can include gases as well as liquids; liquid is the everyday word for substances like water.
- solution
- A solution is a liquid with something dissolved in it; not every liquid is a solution.
Opposites
Word family
- liquidity noun
- The state of being liquid, especially in finance: the ability to turn assets into cash.
- liquidize verb
- To turn food into a liquid, usually with a machine.
- liquidizer noun
- A machine for making liquid out of food; a blender.
Commonly confused: liquid or liquor?
liquid vs liquor
Liquor is a strong alcoholic drink; liquid is any flowing substance.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'The company sold some buildings to stay ______ during the crisis.'
Choose one answer.
Liquid fits because it describes having cash or assets that can be easily converted to cash. 'Liquidity' is a noun and would need a different sentence structure. 'Liquor' means alcohol, and 'liquidize' is a verb meaning to blend food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liquid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.