Jump To:

• coca
  coca

  noun

  a shrub, Erythroxylon coca, native to the Andes, having simple, alternate leaves and small yellowish flowers.
• Coca
  Coca

  noun

  Imogene, 1908–2001, U.S. comic actress.

coca

¹ American  

[koh-kuh] / ˈkoʊ kə /

noun

• cocas
  plural

1. a shrub, Erythroxylon coca, native to the Andes, having simple, alternate leaves and small yellowish flowers.

2. 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

1. Imogene, 1908–2001, U.S. comic actress.

---

coca British  

/ ˈkəʊkə /

noun

1. either of two shrubs, Erythroxylon coca or E. truxiuense, native to the Andes: family Erythroxylaceae

2. 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

• cocas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coca

First recorded in 1610–20; from Spanish, from Quechua kuka

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coca Coca cocas

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

In exchange for uprooting their coca plants, farmers would also get technical support, including from agronomists, and advice on soil management.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Morales, a leftist firebrand, Indigenous leader and former coca farmer, was president from 2006 to 2019.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

And Jose Abril, a farmer who has grown coca but fled amid the violence, said the state failed to make the sustained investments to persuade farmers to switch crops.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

The coca is also very fine, and yields three harvests in the year; which, however, is only the case in a few of the Montañas, as, for example, at Pangoa and Huanta.

From Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests by Thomasina Ross

Moreno argued that Correa had signed off on the Coca Codo Sinclair project, and that he had launched an investigation into issues with the construction when he had assumed the presidency.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 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

The program had made its debut on NBC in 1950, and 39 weeks a year people stayed home Saturday nights to watch Sid Caesar and his cast of Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howie Morris.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

Rick Coca, a spokesperson for the bar, said he can’t comment on whether it will launch an investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

He withdrew his hand slowly and sat looking at a Coca Cola.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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

Using a spatula, carefully place cocas on baking surface and cook until cheese is melted and golden.

From Time Magazine Archive

Place 4 of the par-baked cocas on a clean, flat work surface.

From Time Magazine Archive