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
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
Step through the red-brick facade any morning of the week for a coffee and a nosh—and don’t miss out on the latkes served with applesauce and sour cream or the matzo ball soup.
—
Eliseé Browchuk, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025
Strong replies confidently, still smothered in coffee.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
The company’s large ship charter fares include many meals onboard, drinks like coffee, juice and tea, and more.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Some economists caution that Trump’s language about America’s trade gap presents an unfair representation of what has become a crucial mechanism for the US economy — its ability to purchase services offered by other countries as well as stuff that isn’t made here much, like coffee.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for coffee 
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Eliseé Browchuk, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025
Strong replies confidently, still smothered in coffee.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025
The company’s large ship charter fares include many meals onboard, drinks like coffee, juice and tea, and more.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Some economists caution that Trump’s language about America’s trade gap presents an unfair representation of what has become a crucial mechanism for the US economy — its ability to purchase services offered by other countries as well as stuff that isn’t made here much, like coffee.
—Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for coffee
Dictionary Entries Near coffee
Cite this Entry
“Coffee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coffee. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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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