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• davenport
  davenport

  noun

  a large sofa, often one convertible into a bed.
• Davenport
  Davenport

  noun

  John, 1597–1670, Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of New Haven.

davenport

¹ American  

[dav-uhn-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈdæv ənˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. a large sofa, often one convertible into a bed.

2. Chiefly British. a small writing desk.

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Davenport ² American  

[dav-uhn-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈdæv ənˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. John, 1597–1670, Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of New Haven.

2. a city in E Iowa, on the Mississippi River.

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davenport British  

/ ˈdævənˌpɔːt /

noun

1. a tall narrow desk with a slanted writing surface and drawers at the side

2. a large sofa, esp one convertible into a bed

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Etymology

Origin of davenport

First recorded in 1850–55; the desk is said to be named after a Captain Davenport who first commissioned it

Explanation

A davenport is a piece of furniture that you might lounge on in your living room — it's another name for an upholstered couch or sofa. Exactly how people describe a davenport depends on where they're from. In some parts of the U.S., a davenport is an especially fancy sofa, while in others it's one that can be converted into a bed. The name comes from a 19th century Massachusetts furniture maker, A.H. Davenport and Company. The family name Davenport goes back to a town in Cheshire, England. Earlier, the word referred to a small desk used for writing letters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

davenport Davenport

One day in January, near the turnstile at the exit of the 125th Street subway station, something caught my eye: a sepia-toned photograph that showed what looked like three siblings sitting on a davenport.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2020

She and her brothers, she wrote, had grown up in Onalaska, Wis., and she had loved that davenport.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2020

We’d sit on the davenport, helping Grandmom make dinner.

From MSNBC ● Oct. 9, 2015

The girl wobbled to the davenport, and fell asleep.

From Time Magazine Archive

This very morning von Rumpel inspected a fifteenth-century davenport and supervised its installment onto a railcar meant for Marshal Goring’s hunting lodge.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Wikstrom plays May Davenport, one of the residents at the retirement home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Davenport says that because some limits on the uranium enrichment level and stockpile size were only set for 15 years, "by January 2031, Iran could theoretically expand its enrichment programme".

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

BellRing CEO Darcy Horn Davenport said in May that the company had raised prices a few times.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

On Friday, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport told a press conference: "Our state police will be taking public safety operations over from ICE outside Delaney Hall this afternoon."

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

It was my fault that I'd beamed when Miss Davenport, Momma's loathsome cousin by marriage, had mentioned what a precocious child I was and how familiar my features seemed.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland