variants
also cafes
1
as in cabarets
a bar or restaurant offering special nighttime entertainment (as music, dancing, or comedy acts)
the café presents nationally known jazz performers in an intimate setting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in taverns
a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises
a speakeasy that became a fashionable café with the repeal of prohibition
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in restaurants
a public establishment where meals are served to paying customers for consumption on the premises
they met at a little café in Paris
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of cafés
But as coffee has taken off in China, traditionally a tea-drinking market, Starbucks has run into a slew of competitors from boutique cafes to chains such as Cotti Coffee and Manner — which often sell drinks at half the price as Starbucks.
—
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
On earlier Princess ships, this venue felt like an Italian town square, surrounded by cafes, bars, and restaurants.
—Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Here’s our list of 13 restaurants and cafes that opened around Houston last month.
—Aviva Bechky, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
Several cafes and restaurants across Chicago’s neighborhoods are participating in the nationwide strike, including Bueno Days in Little Village, Drip Collective in West Loop, Anticonquista Cafe in Pilsen, Four Letter Word Coffee in Logan Square/Avondale Dandelion, Coffee Bar in Evanston and more.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Dozens of restaurants and cafes closed across metro Denver.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026
From being home to the tallest building in South America – the Gran Torre Santiago – to the many cafes and dance clubs, solo travelers will always find something to do in Chile's capital.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Besides the abundant markets, bakeries, ice cream shops and caterers, there’s a constant influx of new restaurants, cafes and food trucks.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
One side of the hotel is flanked by the new D Marin Marsa Al Arab Marina, a pedestrian strip of homegrown restaurants and cafes that look out over the super yachts docked at Marsa’s marina.
—Selina Denman, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
On earlier Princess ships, this venue felt like an Italian town square, surrounded by cafes, bars, and restaurants.
—Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Here’s our list of 13 restaurants and cafes that opened around Houston last month.
—Aviva Bechky, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
Several cafes and restaurants across Chicago’s neighborhoods are participating in the nationwide strike, including Bueno Days in Little Village, Drip Collective in West Loop, Anticonquista Cafe in Pilsen, Four Letter Word Coffee in Logan Square/Avondale Dandelion, Coffee Bar in Evanston and more.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Dozens of restaurants and cafes closed across metro Denver.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026
From being home to the tallest building in South America – the Gran Torre Santiago – to the many cafes and dance clubs, solo travelers will always find something to do in Chile's capital.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Besides the abundant markets, bakeries, ice cream shops and caterers, there’s a constant influx of new restaurants, cafes and food trucks.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
One side of the hotel is flanked by the new D Marin Marsa Al Arab Marina, a pedestrian strip of homegrown restaurants and cafes that look out over the super yachts docked at Marsa’s marina.
—Selina Denman, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cafés
Noun
-
The newest chapter is Velvet Night 76—my personal obsession—inspired by Parisian cabarets.—
Shivani Vora,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
As revolutionary unrest intensified and the Pahlavi regime imposed martial law and closed cabarets and theaters in an attempt to appease conservatives, her sources of income vanished.—
Richard Nedjat-Haiem,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This was the original use for Bar Keepers Friend, to polish brass rails at bars and taverns, often underfoot.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
27 Jan. 2026
-
These establishments range from cozy cafes and historic taverns to strip-mall Italian spots.—
Amanda Hancock,
IndyStar,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There are 617 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Mesa's downtown has so much to explore, with unique art and local shops, to fun restaurants and bars.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Entrepreneur Bob Snow develops Church Street Station, a collection of nightclubs and entertainment venues, in downtown Orlando.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Soon after, they were seen partying around SoCal — from Coachella to Hollywood nightclubs.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
To relax, people can hit one of the city's many pubs or sip on afternoon tea.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Its use extends far beyond bars and pubs.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Jinya Ramen Bar Ladle of Love special Jinya Ramen Bar diners can get two bowls of ramen for $28 every Tuesday throughout February.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for restaurants to draw in new diners and serve their best dishes to more people.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All told, Rodriguez has played for nine clubs, totaling 127 goals and 161 assists in 516 appearances across all competitions.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
-
More broadly, beyond the wholesale clubs, JPMorgan estimates that last year’s tax changes could lead to a more than 1% increase in core retail sales in 2026, with much of the impact disproportionately felt during the tax refund season.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Caviar used to be given away in 19th century saloons to encourage drinking.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Until the mid-1950s, most were old-fashioned four-door saloons, but the TD21 changed all that—as did its TE21 and TF21 successors.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cafés.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caf%C3%A9s. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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