coffer

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fer ˈkȯ-fər 

ˈkä-

1

: chest

Among the items at the auction was an 18th-century oak coffer.

especially : strongbox

put the money in the coffer

2

: treasury, funds

—usually used in plural

… public coffers running dry in a bleak economy …

—Vivienne Walt and Roya Wolverson

corporate coffers

3

: a recessed panel in a vault, ceiling, or soffit

ceiling coffers

coffer

2 of 2

verb

coffered; coffering; coffers

transitive verb

1

: to store or hoard up in a coffer

coffered his military memorabilia

2

: to form (something, such as a ceiling) with recessed panels

A ceiling that is coffered will bring an added dimension to a large room.

Synonyms of coffer

Noun

• vault
• strongbox

Examples of coffer in a Sentence

Noun

kept the jewels in a locked coffer

let me see what's in the household coffers and I'll get back to you about making a donation

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Because many schools see master’s degree programs as cash cows that enhance their tenuous coffers. —James Cramer, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026

To do so was to send $80 million back to California coffers, rectifying a mistake made by the state controller’s office that mixed up the monthly K-12 education payments sent to 11 counties. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Verb

The town was not required to spend any money on the property, but any potential revenue went into the town coffers. —Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2026

Football fundraising has lagged well behind the powerhouse men’s basketball program, meaning much of that increase presumably will come directly from athletic department coffers despite the most recently available budget documents showing a $29.1 million deficit in 2024. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cofre, coffre, borrowed from Anglo-French, altered (with n to r) from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper" (sense "chest" attested in early Medieval Latin), borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket" — more at coffin entry 1

Verb

Middle English cofren, derivative of cofre coffer entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coffer

• offer
• proffer
• scoffer
• counteroffer

Kids Definition

coffer

noun

cof·​fer

ˈkȯ-fər, 

ˈkäf-ər

1

: a box used especially to store money and valuables

2

: treasury sense 1, funds

—usually used in plural