coffee

coffee

cof‧fee S1 W2 /ˈkɒfi $ ˈkɒːfi, ˈkɑːfi/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Italian; Origin: caffè, from Turkish kahve, from Arabic qahwa]

1. [uncountable] a hot dark brown drink that has a slightly bitter taste:
Do you want a cup of coffee?
Do you like your coffee white (=with milk) or black (=without milk)?
2. [uncountable and countable] a cup of coffee:
Who wants a coffee?
over coffee
dinner guests chatting over coffee (=while drinking coffee) ⇨ ↑decaffeinated
3. [uncountable] whole coffee beans, crushed coffee beans, or a powder to which you add water to make coffee:
a jar of coffee
instant coffee (=powdered coffee)
I haven’t got any real coffee (=coffee beans) at the moment.
4. [uncountable] a light brown colour
⇨ wake up and smell the coffee at ↑wake up(3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ a cup/mug of coffee Jake had a quick breakfast and a mug of coffee.
▪ a pot of coffee Shall I make a pot of coffee?
■ verbs
▪ have a coffee She stopped in a café to have a quick coffee.
▪ drink coffee I don’t often drink coffee.
▪ sip coffee (=drink it slowly) He sat in his chair, peacefully sipping his coffee.
▪ make coffee You wash up and I’ll make the coffee.
▪ pour the coffee (out) He poured the coffee out into mugs.
▪ spill coffee He’d accidentally spilt coffee over the table.
■ adjectives
▪ black (=without milk) He went up to the counter and ordered a black coffee.
▪ white (=with milk) I’d like a white coffee, please.
▪ fresh (=made very recently using coffee beans) the delicious smell of fresh coffee
▪ strong/weak I needed some strong coffee to wake me up.
▪ milky (=with a lot of milk in it) a steaming mug of milky coffee
▪ decaffeinated (also decaf informal) (=without any caffeine in it) Have you got any decaf coffee?
■ coffee + NOUN
▪ a coffee cup/mug Kate put down her coffee cup.
▪ a coffee pot She refilled the coffee pot.
▪ a coffee machine (=for making coffee) Janice crossed to the coffee machine and filled two plastic cups.
▪ a coffee break (=a break from work to have some coffee) Shall we stop for a coffee break?
▪ a coffee stain (=a mark left by coffee or a coffee cup) The table was covered in coffee stains.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ types of coffee
▪ espresso strong black Italian coffee: I’ll have a double espresso.
▪ latte coffee made by adding a lot of hot milk to a small amount of strong coffee: Two lattes please.
▪ cappuccino coffee that has hot milk with a lot of bubbles in it, usually with chocolate powder on top: I’ll have another cappuccino, please.
▪ Americano coffee made by pouring a small amount of strong black Italian coffee on top of hot water: Can I have an Americano?
▪ decaf informal coffee that does not contain ↑caffeine . Decaf is short for ‘decaffeinated’: I always drink decaf. | a decaf latte
▪ skinny a skinny latte or capuccino has very low-fat milk in it: I asked for a skinny latte, not a full-fat one.
▪ filter coffee coffee made using a paper filter: We usually drink filter coffee at home.
▪ iced coffee coffee served cold with ice: a can of iced coffee
 

coffee shop

ˈcoffee shop BrE AmE noun [countable]
1. American English a restaurant that serves cheap meals
2. British English a place in a large shop or a hotel that serves meals and non-alcoholic drinks