café

1 of 2

noun

ca·​fé ka-ˈfā How to pronounce café (audio)
kə-
variants or less commonly cafe
Synonyms of cafénext
often attributive
1
: a usually small and informal establishment serving various refreshments (such as coffee)
broadly : restaurant
2
3

CAFE

2 of 2

abbreviation

corporate average fuel economy

Examples of café in a Sentence

Noun 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 on the Web
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Noun
The count doesn’t include the many smaller chains and independent cafes serving coffees and teas imported from Yemen. ABC News, 2 May 2026 The cafe, a recipient of the CBS News Philadelphia Hometown Heartbeat award, plans to renovate the new space while continuing operations at its current location. Kerri Corrado, CBS News, 2 May 2026 After reading about Crettaz’s cafes, in 2011, former government employee Jon Underwood held one at his home in Hackney, England, and created a website with advice so others could stage their own. Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 1 May 2026 After a spectacular photo stop at the summit, the group about-faced back to the Petersen Museum for a quick lunch at the Meyers Manx lobby cafe. Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 May 2026 Unlike typical American cafes, many of these stay open late into the evening. Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 That connection is memorialized through Lena’s Garden, a permanent Chihuly installation that spans the ceiling of the cafe with hundreds of brightly colored glass elements. Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 30 Apr. 2026 Coffeehouse culture is intrinsic to Vienna, and 10 minutes from the hotel is perhaps the city’s most unique cafe, Vollpension. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2026 Find a Korean Birthday Cafe For a quieter, more local experience, build in time for a Korean birthday cafe — known in Korea as saeng-ka. Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of café was in 1802

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Café.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caf%C3%A9. Accessed 6 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

café

noun
ca·​fé
variants also cafe
ka-ˈfā How to pronounce café (audio)
kə-
1
: a usually small restaurant
2
3
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