SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

coffee hour

noun

Definition of coffee hour

1 :a usually fixed occasion of informal meeting and chatting at which refreshments are served

2 :coffee break

First Known Use of coffee hour

1867

Learn More about coffee hour

See words that rhyme with coffee hour

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up coffee hour? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Words at Play

alt-59c17b8172892

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1

Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game