boire

Senses

1. 1.

   to drink

   to consume a liquid by mouth

2. 2.

   to drink (alcohol)

   to consume alcoholic beverages, often excessively

3. 3.

   to absorb, soak up

   to take in or soak up (liquid or figuratively, words/advice)

Examples

• "Je bois un café le matin."

  I drink a coffee in the morning.

• "Il boit trop de vin chaque soir."

  He drinks too much wine every evening.

• "Les plantes boivent l'eau du sol."

  Plants absorb water from the soil.

Usage

Common, regular verb used in all registers. Note the irregular conjugation in some tenses (je bois, tu bois, il/elle boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils/elles boivent). The expression *boire ses paroles* (lit. "drink someone's words") means to listen intently and believe everything someone says.