Meaning & use
pint
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Meanings
nouncountable
A measure of liquid, equal to one-eighth of a gallon; about 473 milliliters in the US and 568 in the UK.
Grammar: Often follows a number: two pints of milk; with a number as a modifier, use a hyphen: a two-pint jug.
Patterns
- a pint of something
She poured a pint of milk into the pot.
The recipe needs two pints of cream.
A pint of blueberries costs about four dollars.
nouncountableinformalBritish
A glass of beer, especially in Britain or Ireland.
Grammar: Informal; often used with a verb like have: let's go for a pint.
Patterns
- have a pint
- go for a pint
Shall we meet at the pub for a pint?
He ordered a pint of bitter and sat by the window.
They had a quick pint after work.
Word forms
| plural | pints |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pint of milk
- We need a pint of milk for the porridge.
- a pint of beer
- He drank a pint of beer slowly.
- pint glass
- The pub served it in a heavy pint glass.
- half a pint
- She only wanted half a pint.
- go for a pint
- Let's go for a pint on Friday.
- a pint of blood
- Donors usually give about a pint of blood.
Synonyms and how they differ
- half-quart
- A pint is exactly half a quart, though people rarely use the term half-quart.
- glass
- Glass is the general word for a drink container; pint names a specific amount.
Word family
- pint-sized adjective
- very small
- half-pint noun
- half of a pint, or a small person
- quart noun
- two pints
- gallon noun
- eight pints
Commonly confused: pint or point? pint or quart?
pint vs point
A point is a dot, an idea or a position, and is spelled with o; a pint is a measure of liquid.
pint vs quart
A quart equals two pints, so a quart is larger.
Practice
A US pint is ___ a UK pint.
Choose one answer.
A US pint is about 473 ml and a UK pint about 568 ml, so the US pint is smaller.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.