# cider

/ˈsaɪdɝ/ (US) · /sˈaɪdɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cider
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. alcoholic apple drink

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

an alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice, which can be still or bubbly.

For teachers: an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of apple juice. In British and Australian contexts, this is the default meaning of the term.

- We sat in the pub garden and shared a cold bottle of apple cider.
- The region is famous for its traditional dry cider, which is fermented in oak barrels to produce a complex, tart flavour profile.

Usage: Often used uncountably for the liquid and countably for a glass or serving.

### 2. non-alcoholic apple juice

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

a fresh, non-alcoholic drink made from crushed apples, often cloudy and unfiltered.

For teachers: a non-alcoholic, often unfiltered and unpasteurised beverage made from the expressed juice of apples.

- In the autumn, we always buy a gallon of fresh cider from the local farm.
- The farm stand sells hot mulled cider during the winter months, seasoned with cinnamon sticks and cloves for a seasonal treat.

Teaching tip: In the US and Canada, 'cider' usually refers to this non-alcoholic version; the alcoholic version is specifically called 'hard cider'.

### 3. lemon-lime soda

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect

a sweet, bubbly lemon-lime drink with no alcohol.

For teachers: a non-alcoholic, lemon-lime flavoured carbonated soft drink.

- He ordered a bottle of cider to go with his lunch at the café in Tokyo.
- The student was surprised to find that 'cider' in Seoul referred to a clear lemon-lime soda rather than an apple-based beverage.

Teaching tip: This sense is specific to Japan and South Korea; learners should be aware that this differs significantly from the Western definition.

## Examples

- We drank cold cider in the garden.
- The farm stand sells fresh cider alongside baskets of crisp autumn apples.
- While hard cider is often compared to wine for its acidity and tannins, its fruit-forward character remains distinctively apple-driven.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.