Meaning & use
liquor store
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
A shop that sells alcoholic drinks, such as beer, wine, and spirits, for you to take away and drink elsewhere.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a liquor store' or 'two liquor stores'.
Patterns
- go to the liquor store
- buy something at a liquor store
We stopped at the liquor store to buy a bottle of wine for the party.
There's a liquor store on the corner that stays open late.
He works part-time at a liquor store near his apartment.
Word forms
| plural | liquor stores |
|---|
Common combinations
- go to the liquor store
- I need to go to the liquor store before it closes.
- a bottle from the liquor store
- She brought a bottle from the liquor store.
- the liquor store on the corner
- The liquor store on the corner sells imported beer.
- run to the liquor store
- Can you run to the liquor store for some ice?
Synonyms and how they differ
- off-licence
- This is the British term for a shop that sells alcohol to take away; it is not used in American English.
- bottle shop
- Used in Australian and New Zealand English for a shop that sells alcohol, often one where you can also drink on the premises.
Commonly confused: liquor store or bar? liquor store or liqueur?
liquor store vs bar
A bar is a place where you drink alcohol on the spot, while a liquor store sells alcohol for you to take home.
liquor store vs liqueur
A liqueur is a sweet, strong alcoholic drink, not a shop. Don't confuse the similar sounds.
Practice
In American English, where would you go to buy a bottle of whiskey to take home?
Choose one answer.
A liquor store sells alcohol for you to take away. A bar is where you drink alcohol on the premises, and a bakery or pharmacy does not sell alcohol.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liquor store”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.