What does drinking mean?
Drinking is the act of taking liquid into the mouth and swallowing it — an essential human activity as basic as eating or breathing. In its broadest sense the word covers everything from sipping water to quaffing tea, and it appears constantly in everyday phrases such as 'drinking water' and 'drinking fountain'. Yet in ordinary conversation, bare 'drinking' carries a strong conventional association with alcohol: to ask whether someone drinks is usually to ask whether they consume alcoholic beverages. This dual character makes the word context-dependent, with collocations like 'heavy drinking', 'binge drinking', and 'drinking problem' belonging firmly to discussions of alcohol and health. As a gerund, drinking also functions grammatically as both noun and verb form, giving it great flexibility in English prose.
The act or practice of consuming liquid, especially alcohol.
"Moderate drinking is generally considered safer than binge drinking."
Unqualified, often understood to refer specifically to alcohol.
Present participle of the verb 'drink': taking liquid into the mouth and swallowing.
"They were drinking coffee on the terrace all morning."
English once had two verbs for drinking — one for water, one for ale — and modern 'drink' is their surviving descendant.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drinking
Drinking derives from the Old English verb 'drincan', which traces back through Proto-Germanic '*drekaną' to the Indo-European root '*dhreg-', meaning to swallow or draw liquid. The same Germanic root produced the causative forms that gave English 'drench' and is related to 'drown'. Cognates include German 'trinken' and Dutch 'drinken'. The noun use as a verbal gerund has existed since Old English, while the specific association with alcohol consumption developed alongside the culture of alehouses and taverns in medieval England.
Related word forms
How drinking is actually used
Neutral when referring to consuming liquids in general, but unmodified 'drinking' frequently implies alcohol consumption by convention ('Do you smoke or drink?'). In medical and public-health contexts it is typically qualified as 'alcohol drinking' or 'heavy drinking'.
Easily confused with drinking
'Drinking' is the act of consuming liquid (or a gerund), while 'drunk' is the past participle of drink and an adjective meaning intoxicated.