barista

American  

[buh-ris-tuh, -ree-stuh, bah-rees-tah] / bəˈrɪs tə, -ˈri stə, bɑ ris tɑ /

noun

• baristas,
  plural
• baristi
  plural

1. a person who is specially trained in the making and serving of coffee drinks, as in a coffee bar.

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barista British  

/ bəˈrɪstə /

noun

1. a person who makes and serves coffee in a coffee bar

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• baristas
  plural
• baristi
  plural

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barista baristas

I like going to the coffee shop where the barista remembers that I take my mint tea iced and unsweetened, and I remember that she has a puppet showcase coming up.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

“The metrics are near impossible to hit,” one Starbucks barista, who requested anonymity to protect their job, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

When was the last time you engaged in friendly banter with your barista, chatted with your neighbor or called your mother?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

The barista brought them their food, and they sipped on their ponche and ate sandwiches as they talked.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

If I don’t want to wait in line, I’ll head to Dayglow in Silver Lake where some of my favorite baristas are generous enough to let me try whatever new concoction they’re experimenting with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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

The friendly baristas at the coffee shop—talented at pulling a cortado—smiled when I brought his name up in conversation.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

The baristas, who sell elaborate fruit and cake-themed concoctions, are supposed to connect with customers as "brand ambassadors".

From BBC ● May 28, 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