coffer

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.

Examples of coffer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to him, there is state money to help and cover costs to prevent going back into the city coffers. —Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026

One candidate raised nothing, but reported spending more than $185,000 in the first quarter — after putting $300,000 of his own money into his campaign coffers. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond struggled to fundraise, bringing in around $62,000 to his campaign coffers. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026

But municipal advocates urged Gov. Ned Lamont and the General Assembly Wednesday to reverse that trend, noting that while budget caps have kept state coffers flush, inadequate aid has left many communities struggling. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cofren, derivative of cofre coffer entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for coffer

• offer
• proffer
• scoffer
• counteroffer
• spermatophore

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