coffer

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fer ˈkȯ-fər 

ˈkä-

1

: chest

Among the items at the auction was an 18th-century oak coffer.

especially : strongbox

put the money in the coffer

2

: treasury, funds

—usually plural

… public coffers running dry in a bleak economy …

—Vivienne Walt and Roya Wolverson

corporate coffers

3

: a recessed panel in a vault, ceiling, or soffit

ceiling coffers

coffer

2 of 2

verb

coffered; coffering; coffers

transitive verb

1

: to store or hoard up in a coffer

coffered his military memorabilia

2

: to form (something, such as a ceiling) with recessed panels

A ceiling that is coffered will bring an added dimension to a large room.

Synonyms of coffer

Noun

• vault
• strongbox

Examples of coffer in a Sentence

Noun

kept the jewels in a locked coffer

let me see what's in the household coffers and I'll get back to you about making a donation

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Once seen as a relatively benign form of development that contributed to local coffers without harming the broader community, today data centers face united opposition. — Ivy Main, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Last year, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office struggled with contractor Tyler Technologies to get money from county coffers out to districts. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Verb

The president and his sons alone added over $2 billion to the family coffers through their crypto ventures. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 1 July 2026

According to him, there is state money to help and cover costs to prevent going back into the city coffers. — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cofre, coffre, borrowed from Anglo-French, altered (with n to r) from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper" (sense "chest" attested in early Medieval Latin), borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket" — more at coffin entry 1

Verb

Middle English cofren, derivative of cofre coffer entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coffer

• offer
• proffer
• scoffer
• counteroffer
• spermatophore

Kids Definition

coffer

noun

cof·​fer

ˈkȯ-fər, 

ˈkäf-ər

1

: a box used especially to store money and valuables

2

: treasury sense 1, funds

—usually used in plural