coca
noun
a shrub, Erythroxylon coca, native to the Andes, having simple, alternate leaves and small yellowish flowers.
coca
1 American
[koh-kuh]
/ ˈkoʊ kə /
noun
-
cocas
plural
-
a shrub, Erythroxylon coca, native to the Andes, having simple, alternate leaves and small yellowish flowers.
-
the dried leaves of this shrub, which are chewed for their stimulant properties and which yield cocaine and other alkaloids.
Coca
2
American
[koh-kuh]
/ ˈkoʊ kə /
noun
coca
British
/ ˈkəʊkə /
noun
-
either of two shrubs, Erythroxylon coca or E. truxiuense, native to the Andes: family Erythroxylaceae
-
the dried leaves of these shrubs and related plants, which contain cocaine and are chewed by the peoples of the Andes for their stimulating effects
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coca
First recorded in 1610–20; from Spanish, from Quechua kuka
Vocabulary lists containing coca
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:
De la Espriella also pledged to begin fumigating coca fields, which Petro had said covered about 626,000 acres, as early as Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Perea is sceptical that government support to move away from coca will come anytime soon to him and his neighbours.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The coca war is much more than the war over water or gas.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
The coca growers' leader, who served three terms between 2006 and 2019, has been in hiding in his central Bolivian stronghold of Chapare since late 2024.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
From The 2005 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Coca Cola’s stock crept 0.2% higher during the day.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Coca is a business," says Gloria Miranda, director of the government agency in charge of illicit crop substitution in Colombia.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
While that could be somewhat offset by product mix and promotions, Vita Coca is still guiding for gross margins to come in at 38%, above its five-year average of 32% and the fourth-quarter’s 35%.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Coca grows in semitropical areas at heights of between 200 and 1,500 metres over sea level, and unlike oranges, can be harvested three to six times per year.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2025
“Gallons of it. Sarsaparilla, root beer, birch beer, ginger ale, Moxie, lemon soda, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Dipsi Cola, Pipsi Cola, Popsi Cola, and raspberry cream tonic. Anything you want.”
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
Instead, there are cocas, which look like pizza but aren’t, as cheeky murals on the wall insist.
From The New Yorker ● May 31, 2019
Place 4 of the par-baked cocas on a clean, flat work surface.
From Time Magazine Archive
Using a spatula, carefully place cocas on baking surface and cook until cheese is melted and golden.
From Time Magazine Archive
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
