brew
/bru:n/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A drink made by steeping, boiling, and fermenting ingredients: "brew" most commonly refers to a beverage, especially beer or tea, produced through these processes.
- A serving or batch of such a drink: It can also refer to a single instance or quantity of the prepared drink.
Verb:
- To make (a drink like beer or tea) by steeping, boiling, and fermenting: The primary meaning involves the preparation of such beverages.
- To let something sit in hot water to extract its flavor: This applies specifically to making drinks like tea or coffee.
- To be in the process of being made or developing: Used figuratively to describe something, often a situation, that is forming or gathering.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- He makes a strong brew of coffee every morning.
- This pub is famous for its excellent home brew.
Verb:
- They brew their own beer in the basement.
- I'll brew a fresh pot of tea for our guests.
- Trouble seems to be brewing in the office.
Advanced Usage
"brew up" (phrasal verb): To make a hot drink, especially tea or coffee, often informally.
- Let's brew up some tea and have a chat.
"brew of": Used to describe a particular mixture or combination, often of ideas or elements.
- His philosophy is a strange brew of Eastern and Western thought.
Variants and Related Words
Brewer (n): A person or company that makes beer.
- He works as a master brewer for a large brewery.
Brewery (n): A place where beer is made commercially.
- We took a tour of the local brewery.
Brewing (n/adj): The process of making beer; also used as an adjective for something in development.
- The brewing process takes several weeks. (n)
- A brewing scandal. (adj)
Synonyms
- Steep (v): To soak in liquid to extract flavor.
- Ferment (v): To undergo fermentation, crucial in brewing beer.
- Concoct (v): To make by combining various ingredients (can be used figuratively like "brew").
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Brew over: (Of a situation) to develop slowly, often towards a crisis. Similar to the figurative use of "brew."
- The dispute had been brewing over for months before the strike.
Related Idioms
A witch's brew / A witches' brew: A dangerous or unpleasant mixture of things.
- The policy was a witch's brew of bad ideas.
To brew a storm: To cause trouble or a difficult situation to develop. (Directly related to the figurative use).
- His careless comments are brewing a storm on social media.
Noun
- drink made by steeping and boiling and fermenting rather than distilling
Verb
- sit or let sit in boiling water so as to extract the flavor
- the tea is brewing
- prepare by brewing
- people have been brewing beer for thousands of years