Jump To:

• cocoa
  cocoa

  noun

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

  noun

  a city in E central Florida.

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.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to cocoa.

2. of the color of cocoa.

cocoa ² American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. coco.

---

Cocoa ³ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a city in E central Florida.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

cocoa Cocoa

Numerous qualifying food imports — including coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and beef — are exempt from tariffs.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Before lab-grown cocoa hits the market, the already available alternatives that contain no actual cocoa probably won’t win any chocolatiering competitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Some materials involved in producing candy — notably cocoa — are more expensive than they were a few years ago.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

The price of confectionery generally has been pushed up thanks to higher cocoa prices.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Mama would laugh and rub cocoa butter on our skin to keep it from drying out.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Cocoa production also remains vulnerable, said Roemer, particularly if lower-than-usual rainfall in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in west Africa extend into the dry season.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Cocoa extract did not produce a significant improvement in functional health scores across the study population as a whole.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Cocoa futures prices have been climbing, having only recently returned to the levels seen before the last El Niño.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Cocoa demand hasn’t recovered much since the spike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

“What in the—” He spots Cleo and Cocoa.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---