barista
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of barista
First recorded in 1980–85; from Italian: “bartender,” from bar bar 1 ( def. ) (a loanword from English) + Italian -ista -ist ( def. )
Explanation
A barista is a café employee who specializes in coffee drinks, especially espresso. The person who makes your half-caf vanilla caramel latte is a barista. In Italy, a barista is a "bartender serving coffee drinks, alcoholic drinks, and snacks." The word was adopted by English-speakers around 1992, at the start of the craze for espresso bars and cafés outside of Italy. If a restaurant only serves drip coffee, the person making it isn't called a barista. An espresso machine, on the other hand, requires a barista. If your specialty coffee drink is always delicious and served with a smile, be sure to tip your barista!
Vocabulary lists containing barista
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:
In its latest triumph, Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old former attorney and part-time barista, stunned one of the party's longest-serving lawmakers Tuesday, defeating Diana DeGette in a Denver-based House district.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In Europe, you will get short shrift if you ask the barista for a nonfat, no-foam, vanilla-flavored double-shot latte.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
“The metrics are near impossible to hit,” one Starbucks barista, who requested anonymity to protect their job, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
While she once dreamed of being president of her native Ukraine, she has applied for roles in politics, business and as an entry-level barista, but not even heard back from most employers.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Donald Catt, already irritated over having to wait in line, completely loses his cool when the barista doesn’t know how to make the drink the way he likes it.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
The baristas, who sell elaborate fruit and cake-themed concoctions, are supposed to connect with customers as "brand ambassadors".
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Starbucks is pitching a new $1,200 bonus to its workers — but many of the coffee chain’s baristas claim the reward is out of reach.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Coffee giant seeks to reward baristas for service, sales goals in chain turnaround.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
At the L-shaped stone counter, furnished with fresh flowers and laboratory-like brewing equipment, the inviting baristas opine on the international bean choices from Habakuk’s Hanoi roasting partner, Flusso.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Despite the baristas attempts to calm him, Donald refuses to leave until he gets what he wants, prepared exactly the way he wants it.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
