juice
A1Informal, neutral, and colloquial depending on context.
Definition
Meaning
The liquid extracted or pressed from fruits, vegetables, or, metaphorically, other sources.
Can refer to electrical power (colloquial), vigor/vitality, profits or advantageous elements (colloquial), alcoholic liquor (colloquial), and the fluids in meat.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a non-countable noun, but countable when referring to types of juice (e.g., two fruit juices). Its extended meanings are heavily dependent on context and register.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In UK English, 'juice' is often assumed to be fruit juice. In US English, 'juice' can more broadly refer to fruit or vegetable juice. In US slang, "juice" as "influence/power" is more common than in UK slang, where "clout" is preferred.
Connotations
Both share core meaning; US usage has a slightly broader colloquial application for power/influence (e.g., political juice).
Frequency
High frequency in both varieties for the core meaning. Colloquial uses (power, alcohol) are frequent in US informal speech; somewhat less so in UK.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[V] juice (from N)[V] N for juice[V] juice out of N[have/get] some juice[be] out of juice (power)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “"stew in one's own juice" (suffer the consequences of one's actions)”
- “"juice up" (energize or add power)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Informally: "He has the juice to get the deal approved." (influence). Rare in formal writing.
Academic
Mostly biological/chemical contexts (e.g., gastric juice, cellular juices).
Everyday
The most common context: drinks, cooking, batteries (out of juice).
Technical
In food science, medicine, or biology (e.g., digestive juices, juice clarification).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She juiced the lemons for the pudding.
- Can you juice those oranges, please?
American English
- He juiced the carrots in his new extractor.
- The team needs to juice up their performance.
adjective
British English
- The juice bar was very popular.
- A juice cleanse can be extreme.
American English
- He's a juice fiend, always drinking green juice.
- Check the juice level in the battery.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I drink orange juice for breakfast.
- This apple juice is very sweet.
- Could you buy some pineapple juice from the shop?
- Add a little lemon juice to the sauce.
- After the long hike, we were all completely out of juice.
- The documentary juiced the facts to make it more dramatic.
- The lobbyists really have the juice to affect legislation these days.
- The chef reduced the meat juices to make a rich gravy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a juicy orange being squeezed: the sound 'JUI-ce' is the sound of the liquid squirting out.
Conceptual Metaphor
ENERGY / POWER IS JUICE (e.g., "My phone's out of juice", "He's juiced up for the game").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'juice' for soup broth or sauce ('сок' ≠ 'бульон'/'соус').
- The Russian idiom "входить в сок" does not directly translate to "enter the juice".
- "Juice" for alcohol is slang; not equivalent to standard "спиртной напиток".
Common Mistakes
- Using as a countable noun incorrectly: *'I drank two juices' (OK: 'two glasses of juice' or 'two types of juice').
- Confusing 'juice' (liquid) with 'jam' or 'jelly' (preserves).
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'juice' NOT typically mean a drink?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily uncountable (some juice, a lot of juice). It becomes countable when referring to types or servings (e.g., 'We serve three different juices', 'Two orange juices, please').
It's an informal idiom meaning to have no energy or power left. It can refer to a person feeling exhausted or a device (like a phone) having a dead battery.
Yes. It means to extract juice from something (e.g., juice a lemon) or, informally, to energize or liven something up (e.g., juice up the party).
Juice is the general term for extracted liquid from fruits/vegetables. 'Nectar' is often a marketing term for a juice drink that may be diluted or mixed, or it can refer poetically to a delicious drink. In botany, nectar is the sugary fluid from flowers.
Collections
Part of a collection
Food and Drink
A1 · 49 words · Common words for food, drink and meals.