What does "malt" mean?
Malted grain (sprouted grain) (usually barley), used in brewing and otherwise.
Malt
/mɔlt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Malted grain (sprouted grain) (usually barley), used in brewing and otherwise.
- Grammar: malt is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: malted, barley, beverage, drink.
- Useful contrasts: nonmalted, unmalted, unmalted beverage.
- Usage evidence: Beer is taxed according to its malt content, so low-malt beer is cheaper.
How to use "malt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "malt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "malt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "malt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "malt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "malt" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "malted" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "malt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Malted grain (sprouted grain) (usually barley), used in brewing and otherwise. countable, uncountable
- 2 Initialism of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
- 3 a cereal grain (usually barley) that is kiln-dried after having been germinated by soaking in water; used especially in brewing and distilling wordnet
- 4 Malt liquor, especially malt whisky. countable, uncountable
"Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man."
- 5 a lager of high alcohol content; by law it is considered too alcoholic to be sold as lager or beer wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A milkshake with malted milk powder added for flavor. US, countable, informal, uncountable
"Afterward she sat in the drugstore sucking malt through a straw."
- 7 a milkshake made with malt powder wordnet
- 8 Maltose-rich sugar derived from malted grain. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To convert a cereal grain into malt by causing it to sprout (by soaking in water) and then halting germination (by drying with hot air) in order to develop enzymes that can break down starches and proteins in the grain. transitive
- 2 convert into malt wordnet
- 3 To become malt. intransitive
- 4 convert grain into malt wordnet
- 5 To drink malt liquor. dated, humorous, intransitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 turn into malt, become malt wordnet
- 7 treat with malt or malt extract wordnet
Example
"Beer is taxed according to its malt content, so low-malt beer is cheaper."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "malt"?
Common synonyms include: malted, barley, beverage, drink, frosted, germinate.
How do you use "malt" in a sentence?
Beer is taxed according to its malt content, so low-malt beer is cheaper.
How do you pronounce "malt"?
Pronounced /mɔlt/.
Etymology
From Middle English malt, from Old English mealt, from Proto-West Germanic *malt, from Proto-Germanic *maltą (“malt”), from *maltaz (“soft; nesh; weak; squashy; melting”), from Proto-Indo-European *meld-, *mled- (“to crush; grind; make weak”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Moalt (“malt”), Dutch mout (“malt”), German Malz (“malt”), Swedish malt (“malt”), Old Church Slavonic младъ (mladŭ, “tender; young”), Russian молодой (molodoj, “young; fresh; new”). The Proto-Germanic noun was borrowed into Proto-Slavic as *malta; compare Ukrainian мо́лот (mólot), Czech mláto. More at melt.