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.
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
First recorded in 1610–20; from Spanish, from Quechua kuka
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many farmers, like Hernández, stayed away from coca.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 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
Colombia will also restart fumigation to destroy coca crops, a practice halted since 2015 and strongly opposed by Petro as a senator.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 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
Three or four times a day labour is suspended for chacchar or acullicar, as the mastication of coca is termed.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various
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
With Imogene Coca, he did a comic married couple called the Hickenloopers.
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
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
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
Definitions 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.
