latte
Americannoun
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lattes
plural
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Also called caffè latte. hot espresso with steamed milk, usually topped with foamed milk.
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tea made with steamed milk, usually topped with foamed milk.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of latte
First recorded in 1990–95; from Italian (caffè) latte “(coffee with) milk,” from Latin lac (stem lact- ); cognate with French lait, Portuguese leite, Spanish leche
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Explanation
A latte is a milky espresso drink you can order at most American cafes. Many lattes have delicate patterns or pictures drawn in the creamy foam on top. The full name of a latte is "caffe latte," which means "milk coffee" in Italian. Other countries have variations on this idea, from France's "café au lait" to Germany's "Milchkaffee." While Caffè latte was used in Italy for milky coffee drinks made in people's homes, it wasn't found until very recently on cafe menus — the latte is more of an American invention. If you order a latte in Italy, in fact, what you'll get is a glass of milk.
Vocabulary lists containing latte
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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:
At O’Hare Airport in August, I needed a latte for a layover until I saw the price and realized I didn’t need it after all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
A New York Wheels is a macadamia almond milk iced latte to go — “wheels” is the lingo the baristas there use for “to go.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Cabs can now smell like Axe body spray, a Dunkin’ latte or Downy fabric softener.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Investors need to be on their guard against the pumpkin-spice latte effect, which is about to rear its ugly head.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
She never brought me a latte or dragged me to the movies.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
We're not yet seeing sweetcorn milk stocked in supermarkets and corn lattes at mainstream coffee chains.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Yet tucked behind a cafe where baristas make $11 lattes, young workers write code, design machinery and operate an industrial laser that can cut through a car door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
This is a remix of the lecture supposedly spoiled millennials, who refused to sacrifice every small pleasure on the altar of homeownership, heard for years about $7 lattes.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Starbucks is gearing up for a return of favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall and will begin testing sparkling beverages in a few markets, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
That was another one of the categories we’d determined: people who drank plain coffee and people who drank gussied-up caffeine drinks like the mint-chip lattes Kim was so fond of.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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