1. [n]  the act of drinking alcoholic beverages to excess; "drink was his downfall"
2. [n]  the act of swallowing; "one swallow of the liquid was enough"; "he took a drink of his beer and smacked his lips"
3. [n]  any liquid suitable for drinking; "may I take your beverage order?"
4. [n]  a single serving of a beverage; "I asked for a hot drink"; "likes a drink before dinner"
5. [n]  (informal) any large deep body of water; "he jumped into the drink and had to be rescued"
6. [v]  be fascinated or spell-bound by; pay close attention to; "The mother drinks in every word of her son on the stage"
7. [v]  take in liquids
8. [v]  consume alcohol; "We were up drinking all night"
9. [v]  drink excessive amounts of alcohol; be an alcoholic; "The husband drinks and beats his wife"
10. [v]  propose a toast to; "Let us toast the birthday girl!"; "Let's drink to the New Year"

1. \Drink\ (dr[i^][ng]k), v. i. [imp. {Drank} (dr[a^][ng]k),
   formerly {Drunk} (dr[u^][ng]k); & p. p. {Drunk}, {Drunken}
   (-'n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Drinking}. Drunken is now rarely
   used, except as a verbal adj. in sense of habitually
   intoxicated; the form drank, not infrequently used as a p.
   p., is not so analogical.] [AS. drincan; akin to OS. drinkan,
   D. drinken, G. trinken, Icel. drekka, Sw. dricka, Dan.
   drikke, Goth. drigkan. Cf. {Drench}, {Drunken}, {Drown}.]
   1. To swallow anything liquid, for quenching thirst or other
      purpose; to imbibe; to receive or partake of, as if in
      satisfaction of thirst; as, to drink from a spring.
            Gird thyself, and serve me, till have eaten and
            drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink.
                                                  --Luke xvii.
                                                  8.
            He shall drink of the wrath the Almighty. --Job xxi.
                                                  20.
            Drink of the cup that can not cloy.   --Keble.
   2. To quaff exhilarating or intoxicating liquors, in
      merriment or feasting; to carouse; to revel; hence, to
      lake alcoholic liquors to excess; to be intemperate in the
      ?se of intoxicating or spirituous liquors; to tipple.
      --Pope.
            And they drank, and were merry with him. --Gem.
                                                  xliii. 34.
            Bolingbroke always spoke freely when he had drunk
            freely.                               --Thackeray.
   {To drink to}, to salute in drinking; to wish well to, in the
      act of taking the cup; to pledge in drinking.
            I drink to the general joy of the whole table, And
            to our dear friend Banquo.            --Shak.
   

2. \Drink\, v. t.
   1. To swallow (a liquid); to receive, as a fluid, into the
      stomach; to imbibe; as, to drink milk or water.
            There lies she with the blessed gods in bliss, There
            drinks the nectar with ambrosia mixed. --Spenser.
            The bowl of punch which was brewed and drunk in Mrs.
            Betty's room.                         --Thackeray.
   2. To take in (a liquid), in any manner; to suck up; to
      absorb; to imbibe.
            And let the purple violets drink the stream.
                                                  --Dryden.
   3. To take in; to receive within one, through the senses; to
      inhale; to hear; to see.
            To drink the cooler air,              --Tennyson.
            My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words Of that
            tongue's utterance.                   --Shak.
            Let me . . . drink delicious poison from thy eye.
                                                  --Pope.
   4. To smoke, as tobacco. [Obs.]
            And some men now live ninety years and past, Who
            never drank to tobacco first nor last. --Taylor
                                                  (1630.)
   {To drink down}, to act on by drinking; to reduce or subdue;
      as, to drink down unkindness. --Shak.
   {To drink in}, to take into one's self by drinking, or as by
      drinking; to receive and appropriate as in satisfaction of
      thirst. ``Song was the form of literature which he [Burns]
      had drunk in from his cradle.'' --J. C. Shairp.
   {To drink off} or {up}, to drink the whole at a draught; as,
      to drink off a cup of cordial.
   {To drink the health of}, or {To drink to the health of}, to
      drink while expressing good wishes for the health or
      welfare of.
   

3. \Drink\, n.
   1. Liquid to be swallowed; any fluid to be taken into the
      stomach for quenching thirst or for other purposes, as
      water, coffee, or decoctions.
            Give me some drink, Titinius.         --Shak.
   2. Specifically, intoxicating liquor; as, when drink is on,
      wit is out.
   {Drink money}, or {Drink penny}, an allowance, or perquisite,
      given to buy drink; a gratuity.
   {Drink offering} (Script.), an offering of wine, etc., in the
      Jewish religious service.
   {In drink}, drunk. ``The poor monster's in drink.'' --Shak.
   {Strong drink}, intoxicating liquor; esp., liquor containing
      a large proportion of alcohol. `` Wine is a mocker, strong
      drink is raging.''                          --Prov. xx. 1.
   

The drinks of the Hebrews were water, wine, "strong drink," and vinegar. Their drinking vessels were the cup, goblet or "basin," the "cruse" or pitcher, and the saucer.

To drink water by measure (Ezek. 4:11), and to buy water to drink (Lam. 5:4), denote great scarcity. To drink blood means to be satiated with slaughter.

The Jews carefully strained their drinks through a sieve, through fear of violating the law of Lev. 11:20, 23, 41, 42. (See Matt. 23:24. "Strain at" should be "strain out.")