cocoa

¹ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.

2. cacao.

3. a beverage made by mixing cocoa powder with hot milk or water.

4. brown; yellowish brown; reddish brown.

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adjective

1. of or relating to cocoa.

2. of the color of cocoa.

cocoa ² American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. coco.

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Cocoa ³ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a city in E central Florida.

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cocoa British  

/ ˈkəʊkəʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from cocoa beans after they have been roasted, ground, and freed from most of their fatty oil

2. a hot or cold drink made from cocoa and milk or water

3. 1. a light to moderate brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      cocoa paint

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Etymology

Origin of cocoa¹

First recorded in 1700–10; earlier cocao, cacoa, variant of cacao

Origin of cocoa²

1545–55; misspelling of coco, by confusion with cocoa ¹

Explanation

The dark, chocolate-brown powder you use to make brownies or devil's food cake is called cocoa. Cocoa consists of finely ground roasted cacao beans. You can use cocoa to make many chocolate treats, including pudding, cake, cookies, and hot chocolate — which is also called cocoa. Although cocoa powder smells delicious, it has to be mixed with sugar or some other sweetener for it to taste good. When the word cocoa was first used in the early 18th century, it was based on a mistake, mixing up the letters of cacao, the seed that's used to make cocoa.

Example Sentences

Some are in no rush to add cocoa back.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

A sweet tart filled with a chocolate paste made with cocoa and milk powders.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Timing the erratic cocoa market made amassing those stockpiles expensive, demonstrating the perils of building a business around a livewire commodity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The chocolate maker’s cocoa sales volumes fell 14.3% on year for the half-year ending Feb. 28, while global chocolate sales volumes declined 5.1%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Behind them, Aru’s mom was making hot cocoa and talking on the phone to Mini’s parents.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi