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coconut milk

American  
[koh-kuh-nuht milk] / ˈkoʊ kə nət ˌmɪlk /

noun

  1. the clear, potable liquid contained within the young hollow seed of the coconut palm.

  2. the milky, potable but highly perishable liquid contained within the mature hollow coconut.

  3. the milky, potable liquid extracted from grated coconut meat by infusion with boiling water.


Etymology

Origin of coconut milk

First recorded in 1690–1700

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:

Announced last week in a post on Instagram, the drink was described as a “clarified tonic” with coconut water, jasmine tea, raw honey, holy basil, anise hyssop, green cardamom, white grape juice and coconut milk.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 11, 2026

The bridge, I realized, was the coconut milk.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2026

It began with a bag of frozen dumplings, a can of coconut milk, a spoonful of white miso and 15 minutes to make lunch.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2026

It’s just a strawberry smoothie with coconut milk and something else.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 1, 2026

We had fish and coconut meat, and we each drank several cups of coconut milk.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor

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