café

¹

Or ca·fe

[ka-fey, kuh-, ka-fey]

noun

plural

cafés 

1. a small, unpretentious restaurant, often with exterior seating on a patio or extending onto the sidewalk.

   Synonyms: tearoom, lunchroom, bistro, coffeehouse

2. coffee.

   I pick up a café and a croissant on my commute in to work every morning.

CAFE

²

[ka-fey, kuh-]

noun

1. a U.S. federally mandated standard of average minimum miles-per-gallon fuel consumption for all the cars produced by an automobile manufacturer in a given year.

café

/ ˈkæfeɪ, ˈkæfɪ /

noun

1. a small or inexpensive restaurant or coffee bar, serving light meals and refreshments

2. a corner shop or grocer

Spelling Note

See resume ².

Word History and Origins

Origin of café¹

First recorded in 1780–90; from French: literally, “coffee”; coffee

Origin of café²

C(orporate) A(verage) F(uel) E(conomy)

Word History and Origins

Origin of café¹

C19: from French: _coffee

Example Sentences

The Seattle chain was an early entrant to China’s burgeoning consumer market, opening its first cafe in the country in 1999.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Another Nottingham Forest fan Alistair Day, 58, was next to the train's cafe bar in coach G, and saw people fleeing down the train with blood on their clothes.

Read more on BBC

The train's cafe bar transformed into an impromptu hiding space for those fleeing the attacker.

Read more on BBC

A video he provided to the BBC from inside the cafe bar shows multiple passengers inside, with at least one on the phone to emergency services.

Read more on BBC

Stephen said he had been trying to give another passenger time to close the door to the cafe bar.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bistro 
• cafeteria 
• coffee shop 
• diner