café

noun

ka-ˈfā How to pronounce café (audio)
variants also cafe
Definition of cafénext
1
as in cabaret
a bar or restaurant offering special nighttime entertainment (as music, dancing, or comedy acts) the café presents nationally known jazz performers in an intimate setting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tavern
a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises a speakeasy that became a fashionable café with the repeal of prohibition

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in restaurant
a public establishment where meals are served to paying customers for consumption on the premises they met at a little café in Paris

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of café For now, the goal is for the cafe to be open Thursday through Saturday and when there are performances and movie screenings. — Rudi Greenberg, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 Comedian Pete Davidson was on hand Monday afternoon at the official opening of the rocker’s new cafe in Wynwood. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Dulu cafe and lounge serves farm-to-table brunch and dinner in the hotel’s lobby, and also acts as a lounge and bar in the later night. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026 Other amenities include a cafe, dog park, fitness equipment and sports courts. — Alejandra Molina, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for café
Recent Examples of Synonyms for café
  1. cabaret
  2. tavern
  3. restaurant
  4. nightclub
  5. saloon
  6. diner
  7. club
  8. pub
Noun
  • Penélope Cruz arrives for a few scenes as a wartime cabaret singer — her performance for a group of cheering soldiers is a burst of bawdy energy.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Brand, then a rising stand-up comedian, was performing in a cabaret on the fringe of the conference in the English coastal town of Bournemouth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of cabaret
Noun
  • What to do nearby A stone’s throw away is the Water Street Market, a complex of shops that includes an antiques mall, the Grazery café, and a neighborhood tavern called Parish.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The restaurant carries the fantasy theme into its food and atmosphere, designed to feel like a tavern straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
    — Beret Leone, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of tavern
Noun
  • Second, as the nation grew wealthier, other employment opportunities for women emerged in the service economy — in retail, restaurants, leisure and hospitality, and even some professional services.
    — Steve Liesman, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The restaurant specializes in pizza with classic Indian flavors.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of restaurant
Noun
  • Making a brief trip to his native Gotham before production of his next movie begins, Matt makes the mistake of succumbing to the advances of a gorgeous young woman on the dance floor of a nightclub.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Cesar Contreras remembers many nights waiting in line to get into Club Europe, a nightclub that opened in the aftermath of Atlanta playing host to the Centennial Olympics Games.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of nightclub
Noun
  • At its birth in 1907 in the basement of a Seattle saloon, there was nothing promising about the American Messenger Company.
    — Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The 18-year-old female elephant got loose from her handler outside her enclosure, then went on the run, demolishing the door of a saloon on North Avenue, smashing in the window of another and walking through the fence around a vacant lot.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of saloon
Noun
  • Now, new hardwood floors, new tile, a new marble bar with a brass drink rail and new cabinetry are among the changes diners will notice.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Feng Chen Wang launched the Rebel Daughter line with Under Armour, while fashion foodies got their fill with the official opening of Edison Chen’s Hong Kong-style Clot diner on Nanjing West Road.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of diner
Noun
  • The task force wondered why a sports facility at a state university wouldn’t be funded by state appropriations and university boosters’ clubs.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The club has consistently overachieved in recent seasons despite modest resources, first under coach Christian Streich, now under his former captain Julian Schuster, who took over from the veteran in 2024.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of club
Noun
  • For beer, Rochester brewed a variety of cold ones, like English pub ales, Mexican-style lagers, IPAs and stouts.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Meghan, on the other hand, has kept a relatively low profile since the move, only stepping out with Harry once for a dinner date at a local pub on October 1.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pub

Browse Nearby Words

caesuras
café
cafés
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Cite this Entry

“Café.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caf%C3%A9. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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