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Synonyms

coffee break

American  

noun

  • coffee breaks
    plural
  1. a break from work for coffee, a snack, etc.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of coffee break

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Your Outlook or Slack status may switch to “away,” making you appear as inactive as if you were taking an extended coffee break.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

During the coffee break, he joined a small group discussing Pes’s presentation.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 20, 2024

The designer brand boasts a strawberry milk printed crossbody, a coffee break tote, a silk tomato ketchup bandana, a snack pendant and gold-toned ketchup packet, fries and hot dog drop earrings.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2024

Outside the university, in an area popular with tourists, Faig Jafarli, 27, was out on his coffee break from work when he noticed that a road near the university was shut.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023

Those of you who are fellow office workers and find yourselves reading this incisive journal during a coffee break or such might take note of one or two of my innovations.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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