café

¹ American  

[ka-fey, kuh-, ka-fey] / kæˈfeɪ, kə-, kaˈfeɪ /

Or cafe

noun

plural

cafés

1. a small, unpretentious restaurant, often with exterior seating on a patio or extending onto the sidewalk.

   Synonyms:

   tearoom, lunchroom, bistro, coffeehouse

2. coffee.

   I pick up a café and a croissant on my commute in to work every morning.

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CAFE ² American  

[ka-fey, kuh-] / kæˈfeɪ, kə- /

noun

1. a U.S. federally mandated standard of average minimum miles-per-gallon fuel consumption for all the cars produced by an automobile manufacturer in a given year.

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café British  

/ ˈkæfeɪ, ˈkæfɪ /

noun

1. a small or inexpensive restaurant or coffee bar, serving light meals and refreshments

2. a corner shop or grocer

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Spelling

See resume ².

Etymology

Origin of café¹

First recorded in 1780–90; from French: literally, “coffee”; coffee

Origin of CAFE²

C(orporate) A(verage) F(uel) E(conomy)

Compare meaning

How does cafe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bistro vs. CAFE
• CAFE vs. coffee shop

Example Sentences

On a recent crisp November Tuesday in northern Wales, some 50 people crowded near a beach cafe in Colwyn Bay to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Wales.

From The Wall Street Journal

A street away, at "Chacho's" cafe, customers in sunglasses sip lattes and matcha tea.

From Barron's

Two friends meet up at Chainsaw in Melrose Hill, the cafe with the flan lattes, crispy arepas and sorbet-colored wall everybody and their mom has been talking about.

From Los Angeles Times

I retreat into Jaanan Puoti café and repeat the door ritual.

From Salon

A neigbourhood cafe has been serving morning coffees with a side order of dance music.

From BBC