coffee table

American  

noun

coffee tables plural

1. a low table, usually placed in front of a sofa, for holding ashtrays, snack bowls, glasses, magazines, etc.

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coffee table British  

noun

1. a low table, on which newspapers, etc, may be placed and coffee served

2. (modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substance

   coffee-table music

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• coffee tables
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coffee table

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

When did you last buy a hardback and what was it – a cookbook, a coffee table book or fiction?

From BBC • May 24, 2026

On the coffee table lay a large format book titled “The World’s Most Beautiful Paintings,” or something similar.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Not having a dining room isn’t a problem because there’s a welcoming patio just outside the French doors, with two chairs, a couch and a coffee table.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

On a notebook on her coffee table, she wrote Cynthia Renee Ortiz, doodling hearts around her prospective married name.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

There’s a small area upstairs with four chairs slung low to the floor and a square coffee table.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan