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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

“I was always arrogantly complaining about all the gins I drank,” said Alas, whose brand just released a new Eau de Minuit gin with notes of toasted oak, cocoa and tobacco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

The price of confectionery generally has been pushed up thanks to higher cocoa prices.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Some materials involved in producing candy — notably cocoa — are more expensive than they were a few years ago.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Celleste’s initial goal is to manufacture using 1,000-liter bioreactors, each with a yearly output of a metric ton of cocoa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“We can have cocoa when we go back,” Naomi said.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Cocoa production also remains vulnerable, said Roemer, particularly if lower-than-usual rainfall in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in west Africa extend into the dry season.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

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 futures rose 15% this week to $4,200 a metric ton, reaching a three-month high, driven by investor positioning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Cocoa topped $12,000 a metric ton in late 2024, before falling below $3,000 earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

She picks Cocoa up with her teeth, and Alex and I climb on her back.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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