cappuccino
Americannoun
-
cappuccinos
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cappuccino
First recorded in 1945–50; from Italian: literally, “capuchin,” so called from a fancied resemblance of the drink's color to the color of a Capuchin habit; see Capuchin ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does cappuccino compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A cappuccino is a hot drink made with espresso and steamed milk. You might order a cappuccino at your favorite neighborhood cafe. Cappuccino is one of dozens of drink choices at any coffee shop that has an espresso machine. While many of these drinks were invented in the U.S., cappuccino is authentically Italian, traditionally served in a fairly small cup and made with equal parts strong espresso, steamed milk, and dense milk foam. The word itself comes from the brown color of the hoods worn by Capuchin monks in Italy.
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:
Here, it’s a salty, oily, typically plain bread that must be eaten within a few hours of baking, and that locals relish in the morning, dipped in cappuccino.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Signorelli landed on a combination of Greek yogurt, cappuccino powder and agave syrup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
What about a cappuccino after dinner, ketchup on pasta or parmesan on seafood pasta?
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
It was a pale cream color, the texture of cappuccino foam.
From Salon ● May 26, 2025
I finish my cappuccino, pay for it, leave a tip for the imitation Italian waiter who served it to me.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Robots were everywhere, dancing in unison, making cappuccinos, shooting soccer goals, massaging visitors and playing the piano.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Carrying two steaming cappuccinos from a popular American coffee chain on Thursday, Niels Berthelsen took the time to stop despite the icy cold winds whipping the streets of Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
With that specialization also came espresso beverages—the flat whites, cappuccinos, and Americanos that now make up the baseline menu for most coffee shops.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
Customers can pay an extra £1 to add a mushroom powder or a supplement called collagen to drinks from lattes to cappuccinos.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025
The gum-chewing waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered two cappuccinos: As Harry was invisible, it would have looked odd to order him one.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
