coffee table
Americannoun
-
coffee tables
plural
noun
-
a low table, on which newspapers, etc, may be placed and coffee served
-
(modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substance
coffee-table music
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coffee table
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
Simply put: When putting together your dinner party menu, don’t consult that one unopened cookbook that’s been collecting dust on your coffee table.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
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 a notebook on her coffee table, she wrote Cynthia Renee Ortiz, doodling hearts around her prospective married name.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
The host took umbrage and digitally manipulated photos to show damage to the property, including a large crack in a coffee table, claiming the guest had caused more than $15,000 in damage.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
“Of course he wants to bring you home,” Cecilia said, leaning out over the coffee table to be close to us.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
