sofa
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sofa
1615–25; < Turkish < Arabic ṣuffah platform used as a seat
Explanation
A sofa is a piece of furniture that a few people can comfortably sit on together. On a rainy weekend, you and your friends might pile on the sofa to watch scary movies and eat popcorn. A sofa is similar to a couch — officially, it needs to seat at least three or more people to qualify as a sofa. If only two people can fit, it's a love seat. And if it's only big enough for you and your pet hedgehog, it's an armchair. Sofas are typically upholstered, with a high back and arms. The word originated from Turkish, from an Arabic root, suffa, "bench of stone or wood."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Tempting as sprawling on the sofa might be, a bit of exercise will make you feel less tired in the long run.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
A blackened mattress, a twisted bicycle, a crushed sofa and toys protrude between two stacked concrete slabs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
A group of men sits together on a sofa as bartenders place bottles of Chivas Regal in buckets of ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
WINDER, Georgia—Ayden Gatlin-Wright lay down on the living room sofa and pulled up his shirt to expose his stomach to get an injection of a weight-loss drug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
After we finish eating, Ana leaps onto the sofa and bangs a spoon against a glass.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
One of the home’s more fascinating features is a sunken conversation pit lined with sumptuous sofas in the living room.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Television characters sitting around having conversations on sofas has served prolific producer Chuck Lorre very well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, and chairs vanished in an instant. It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out," Wang told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Despite their desirable addresses, the flats were sometimes crowded, with the women having to sleep on sofas.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Filled to the rafters with beds, sofas, stoves, refrigerators, chests of drawers, desks, tables, and chairs, the hall was locked and boarded up at six P.M. on Sunday evening.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
