Alcohol by Volume (ABV) Definition - What does Alcohol by Volume (ABV) mean? Alcohol by volume (ABV) is a standard unit of measure for the amount of alcohol present in a given volume of any alcoholic beverage, and it varies depending on the alcoholic beverage. ABV uses the quantity of pure ethanol, measured in millimeters at the temperature of 20 degrees celsius standardized by content in a 100-millimeter solution.