café

noun, often attributive ca·fé \ ka-ˈfā , kə- \

variants: or less commonly cafe

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: café in a Sentence

Definition of café

1 : a usually small and informal establishment serving various refreshments (such as coffee); broadly : restaurant

2 : barroom

3 : cabaret, nightclub

See café defined for English-language learners

See café defined for kids

Examples of café in a Sentence

the café presents nationally known jazz performers in an intimate setting
a speakeasy that became a fashionable café with the repeal of prohibition

Recent Examples of café from the Web

Coming soon ▪ Afterword Tavern & Shelves, bookshop, bar and cafe, 1834 Grand Blvd.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "KC-area restaurant and brewery updates for June: What's coming, open and closed," 13 June 2018
During an hour-long interview at a cafe, three separate people approached him to offer condolences.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "‘Trapped like a cat in a cage’: London’s Grenfell Tower survivors look back on the deadliest fire in modern British history," 13 June 2018
Enrieth Martínez, one of the Nicaraguan university students who represented protesters at dialogues with the government of Daniel Ortega, at a cafe in Managua on June 5, 2018.

— kyra gurney, miamiherald, "Nicaragua university students under attack as they lead political uprising against Ortega," 8 June 2018
There is also the Sandy Toes Coffee Shop, a beached-themed full service espresso bar and cafe.

— cassie dickman, sacbee, "Beat the heat with these family friendly places in the capital region," 2 June 2018
The lesbian community, Grahn said, has become more segmented, and most of the places where her generation gathered — the bookstores, bars and cafes — no longer exist.

— annie vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, "Lesbian archive preserves a time when the Bay Area changed radically," 26 May 2018
Low boulders now sit in place to help shelter Cocles, with its reggae bar and cafes serving rice and beans, where tourists cycle past fruit stalls selling lychees and soursop and signs warn of sloths crossing the beach road.

— sophie hares, The Christian Science Monitor, "Costa Rica's coast struggles to survive against rising seas," 25 May 2018
But after a few years and national articles featuring the scrappy post-K hipness of the bars and cafes of Bywater, the rolling bags arrived.

— anne gisleson, Curbed, "Bywater faces its future," 23 May 2018
In Paris, a short walk from bustling wine bars and trendy cafes, dozens of hopeful asylum-seekers line up for what’s known as the PADA—the first step that will register them for an appointment to launch their asylum claim.

— annie hylton, The New Republic, "Macron Turns His Back on Refugee Women," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'café.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of café

French café coffee, café, from Turkish kahve — more at coffee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

café Synonyms

Synonyms

diner, eatery, grill, restaurant;

pizzeria;

coffeehouse, coffee shop, teahouse, tearoom;

bar, barroom, inn, tavern;

CAFE

abbreviation \ ka-ˈfā \

Definition of CAFE

corporate average fuel economy

Other Automotive Terms

articulated, block, choke, clutch, diesel, neutral, transmission

CAFÉ Defined for English Language Learners

café

noun

Definition of café for English Language Learners

: a small restaurant where you can get simple meals and drinks (such as coffee)

CAFÉ Defined for Kids

café

noun ca·fé

variants: also cafe \ka-ˈfā, kə-\

Definition of café for Students

: a small restaurant serving usually simple meals

Learn More about café

See words that rhyme with café Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for café Spanish Central: Translation of café

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café

Definition of café

Examples of café in a Sentence

Recent Examples of café from the Web

Origin and Etymology of café

café Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

CAFE

Definition of CAFE

Other Automotive Terms

CAFÉ Defined for English Language Learners

café

Definition of café for English Language Learners

CAFÉ Defined for Kids

café

Definition of café for Students

Learn More about café

Seen and Heard

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