barista
Americannoun
noun
Other Word 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.
It's pancakes for Christie, while John Souttar is the barista to McGinn.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 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
“We’re changing minds from Robusta,” said the barista, referencing the bean used most commonly around the country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
It's not what anyone would expect a barista to do, and Brian can still hardly believe it himself: "He is a fantastic guy. He does everything for you," he said.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 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
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.
