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coffee table

noun

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


coffee table

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of coffee table1

First recorded in 1875–80
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Example Sentences

Consider it a coffee table book for edgy rock fans who bliss out on something stronger than coffee.

After she put up a fight, she claims that Cosby left two $100 bills on her coffee table and exited her apartment.

She set the bottles on the kitchen counter and sat in the overstuffed recliner across the coffee table from him.

Copies of a 53-page strategic plan are on the coffee table in her office for visitors to peruse.

Lorraine enters the room and puts a frozen cocktail on the coffee table.

When he got there, we had arranged ourselves in the living room with the note between us on the coffee table.

And Isaacson drew from his pocket the letter Mrs. Armine had sent by the felucca, and laid it on the coffee-table.

He let himself into his apartment, switched on the light and dove underneath the coffee table.

During this conversation Johann Leopold had approached Johanna at her coffee-table.

Even today, the German family's reunion takes place around the coffee table on Sunday afternoons.

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