coffee shop

American  

noun

1. a small, usually inexpensive, restaurant where refreshments and light meals are served.

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coffee shop British  

noun

1. a shop where coffee is sold or drunk

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Etymology

Origin of coffee shop

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Compare meaning

How does coffee-shop compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• CAFE vs. coffee shop

Example Sentences

Once the second-most common U.S. restaurant type, pizzerias are now outnumbered by coffee shops and Mexican food eateries, according to industry data.

From The Wall Street Journal

In my junior year, friends started doing stand-up at the tiny campus coffee shop.

From The Wall Street Journal

Blue Bottle coffee shops may be on the chopping block too, according to analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Elsewhere in the mall, Ana Leon, 37, and her mother, Socorro Diaz, 63, had just wandered inside the mall and headed to a coffee shop.

From Los Angeles Times

Ana Leon, 37, and her mother, Socorro Diaz, 63, had just wandered inside the Torrance mall and headed to a coffee shop — not the most ideal trip on the rainiest of days.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• coffee bar
• coffeehouse