java

noun

ja·​va ˈja-və  ˈjä- 

-vē

variants or less commonly Java

1

: coffee

2

usually Java : arabica coffee beans of plants grown in Java, Indonesia that produce a usually full-bodied coffee of low to medium acidity

Examples of java in a Sentence

a hot cup of java

Recent Examples on the Web

Toby’s Estate rotates specialist and experimental beans from around the world, sparking wide-eyed delight among java junkies when each monthly menu drops. —Jonathan Thompson, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2025

Drying up The data show how Brazil’s parched soil is causing the price of java to rise. —Kevin Williams, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2025

Most java lovers are familiar with ground coffee: roasted coffee beans that have been ground for use in a coffee machine. —Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025

Don’t blame us if your friends want to keep coming over for some java. —Sarah Madaus, Architectural Digest, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Java, island of Indonesia

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for java

• cava
• fava
• guava
• jahveh
• lava
• balaclava
• cassava

Geographical Definition

Java

geographical name

Ja·​va ˈjä-və 

ˈja-

variants or Indonesian Djawa

ˈjä-və 

island of Indonesia in the Greater Sunda Islands southeast of Sumatra and south of Borneo between the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean; chief city Jakarta area 51,007 square miles (132,618 square kilometers), population 107,581,306