Illustration of coffee
- coffee 1b
often attributive
1
a
: a beverage made by percolation, infusion, or decoction from the roasted and ground seeds of a coffee plant see also iced coffee, irish coffee, turkish coffee
b
: any of several Old World tropical plants (genus Coffea and especially C. arabica and C. canephora) of the madder family that are widely cultivated in warm regions for their seeds from which coffee is prepared
d
: a dehydrated product made from brewed coffee
instant coffee
also
: a beverage made from this
2
: a cup of coffee
two coffees
3
Did you know?
Coffee is made from the roasted and ground seeds, or beans, of the coffee plant, a tropical evergreen shrub. Two of the 25 or more species, Arabica and Robusta, supply most of the world's coffee. Arabica is grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia; Robusta mainly in Africa. The shrub bears small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance. The fruit, which is red when mature, is called a cherry. The seed is called a bean. Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, whose effects have always been an important element in the drink's popularity. Coffee-drinking dates from the 15th century in Arabia. It reached Europe by the 17th century and immediately became popular. Coffee is consumed by about one-third of the world's population.
Examples of coffee in a Sentence
I bought a pound of coffee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Moutet requested coffee from the chair umpire down 3-0 in the second set, but his request was denied.
—
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 18 May 2026
That day, Riley had been editing a sequence in which Corvette sneaks into a San Francisco condo owned by Christie, her fashion idol, by hiding inside a coffee delivery cart.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
At the buffet and throughout the ship, crew members regularly went the extra step, whether that meant grabbing coffee, tracking down tea that wasn’t on display or simply making guests more comfortable.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Order the Valencian for a delicious take on coffee and orange.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for coffee
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Ava Wallace, New York Times, 18 May 2026
That day, Riley had been editing a sequence in which Corvette sneaks into a San Francisco condo owned by Christie, her fashion idol, by hiding inside a coffee delivery cart.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
At the buffet and throughout the ship, crew members regularly went the extra step, whether that meant grabbing coffee, tracking down tea that wasn’t on display or simply making guests more comfortable.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Order the Valencian for a delicious take on coffee and orange.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for coffee
Cite this Entry
“Coffee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffee. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coffee
noun
cof·fee
ˈkȯ-fē 
ˈkäf-ē
1
: a drink made from the roasted and ground seeds of a tropical tree or shrub related to the madder
2
: coffee seeds or a plant producing them
3
: a cup of coffee
two coffees
Etymology
from Italian caffè "coffee" and Turkish kahve "coffee," both from Arabic qaḥwa "coffee"
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