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• cocoa
  cocoa

  noun

  a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.
• Cocoa
  Cocoa

  noun

  a city in E central Florida.

cocoa

¹ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.

2. cacao.

3. a beverage made by mixing cocoa powder with hot milk or water.

4. brown; yellowish brown; reddish brown.

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adjective

1. of or relating to cocoa.

2. of the color of cocoa.

cocoa ² American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. coco.

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Cocoa ³ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a city in E central Florida.

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cocoa British  

/ ˈkəʊkəʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from cocoa beans after they have been roasted, ground, and freed from most of their fatty oil

2. a hot or cold drink made from cocoa and milk or water

3. 1. a light to moderate brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      cocoa paint

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Etymology

Origin of cocoa¹

First recorded in 1700–10; earlier cocao, cacoa, variant of cacao

Origin of cocoa²

1545–55; misspelling of coco, by confusion with cocoa ¹

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Explanation

The dark, chocolate-brown powder you use to make brownies or devil's food cake is called cocoa. Cocoa consists of finely ground roasted cacao beans. You can use cocoa to make many chocolate treats, including pudding, cake, cookies, and hot chocolate — which is also called cocoa. Although cocoa powder smells delicious, it has to be mixed with sugar or some other sweetener for it to taste good. When the word cocoa was first used in the early 18th century, it was based on a mistake, mixing up the letters of cacao, the seed that's used to make cocoa.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cocoa Cocoa

The cocoa in the Trader Joe’s version has a bitterness that delivers a more balanced bite by cutting straight through the salt and sweet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Researchers separated them into three groups and exposed each group to one of three samples: liquified dark chocolate containing 90% cocoa, liquified milk chocolate containing 60% cocoa, or water as a control.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The zucchini I grated into those brownie-inspired muffins certainly lodged no complaint as it disappeared beneath the cocoa and dark chocolate.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

“We do not expect cocoa to remain at current levels long-term,” said Hershey Chief Executive Kirk Tanner on an earnings call last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

My body warms, like I just drank a quart of hot cocoa.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Cocoa extract did not produce a significant improvement in functional health scores across the study population as a whole.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Cocoa demand hasn’t recovered much since the spike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

In both grocery aisles and the public consciousness, items such as avocados and almonds were deemed too fatty to be “healthy,” while Cocoa Puffs and Pop-Tarts technically qualified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

The country's equivalent of Cocobod - the Coffee and Cocoa Council - also guaranteed a price last year that is now way above the international price.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026

I spend most of my birthday alone in my room with Cocoa.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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