Illustration of coffee
- coffee 1b
often attributive
1
a
: a beverage made by percolation, infusion, or decoction from the roasted and ground seeds of a coffee plant
b
: any of several Old World tropical plants (genus Coffea and especially C. arabica and C. canephora) of the madder family that are widely cultivated in warm regions for their seeds from which coffee is prepared
d
: a dehydrated product made from brewed coffee
instant coffee
also
: a beverage made from this
2
: a cup of coffee
two coffees
3
Did you know?
Coffee is made from the roasted and ground seeds, or beans, of the coffee plant, a tropical evergreen shrub. Two of the 25 or more species, Arabica and Robusta, supply most of the world's coffee. Arabica is grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia; Robusta mainly in Africa. The shrub bears small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance. The fruit, which is red when mature, is called a cherry. The seed is called a bean. Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, whose effects have always been an important element in the drink's popularity. Coffee-drinking dates from the 15th century in Arabia. It reached Europe by the 17th century and immediately became popular. Coffee is consumed by about one-third of the world's population.
Examples of coffee in a Sentence
I bought a pound of coffee.
Recent Examples on the Web
And the price of that burger or cup of coffee may be rising.
—
Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The First Draft Book Bar serves up coffee, wine, beer and snacks in the middle of the brick-walled store.
—USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
If the blend of coffee and tequila sounds interesting to you, expect a balance of sweetness and dryness in the flavor profile.
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2024
The Path of Totality is a golden ale infused with Totality Dark Roast coffee from Sun Bean Roastery, merging light and dark flavors in reference to the sun and moon.
—The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024
This specific information has little importance in itself, but the fact that a layperson can find it in their own home while coffee water heats is astounding!
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2024
The clubs will provide garbage bags, gloves and other materials to help clean the trail, along with light snacks and coffee.
—Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
Vietnamese Pastry Stout, Mike Hess Brewing, North Park, coffee beer category.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
These days, more and more people are skipping the Starbucks in favor of making coffee at home.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The First Draft Book Bar serves up coffee, wine, beer and snacks in the middle of the brick-walled store.
—USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
If the blend of coffee and tequila sounds interesting to you, expect a balance of sweetness and dryness in the flavor profile.
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2024
The Path of Totality is a golden ale infused with Totality Dark Roast coffee from Sun Bean Roastery, merging light and dark flavors in reference to the sun and moon.
—The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024
This specific information has little importance in itself, but the fact that a layperson can find it in their own home while coffee water heats is astounding!
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2024
The clubs will provide garbage bags, gloves and other materials to help clean the trail, along with light snacks and coffee.
—Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
Vietnamese Pastry Stout, Mike Hess Brewing, North Park, coffee beer category.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
These days, more and more people are skipping the Starbucks in favor of making coffee at home.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coffee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near coffee
Cite this Entry
“Coffee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffee. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coffee
noun
cof·fee
ˈkȯ-fē 
ˈkäf-ē
1
: a drink made from the roasted and ground seeds of a tropical tree or shrub related to the madder
2
: coffee seeds or a plant producing them
3
: a cup of coffee
two coffees
Etymology
from Italian caffè "coffee" and Turkish kahve "coffee," both from Arabic qaḥwa "coffee"
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