coffee table

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noun

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

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Also called cocktail table.

Origin of coffee table

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby coffee table

coffeepot, coffee ring, coffee royal, coffee shop, coffee spoon, coffee table, coffee-table book, coffee tree, coffer, cofferdam, coffered

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use coffee table in a sentence

The photographs beam off the pages, so even a baking novice will want to show off this cookbook on the coffee table.
From the Cut: 33 Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Foodie in Your Life|The Cut Staff|February 8, 2021|Eater
The reception area was tastefully outfitted with 8-bit wood floors and the standard assortment of office plants, leather furniture, and coffee table books rendered in pixel art.
The workplace apps that could change the nature of work|Nicolás Rivero|February 7, 2021|Quartz
I used to dance when I was 6 years old on my parents’ coffee table.
Why Padma Lakshmi Won’t Be Running for Office|Pallabi Munsi|December 28, 2020|Ozy
I ate this one for dinner, with a knife and fork, hunched over our coffee table while watching The Crown.
20 Days of Turkey|Meghan McCarron|December 23, 2020|Eater

A coffee table is the perfect place to display books, boxes, trays and other favorite objects, Contreras says.
Shopping with the pros: Paloma Contreras’s favorite items from Serena & Lily|Mari-Jane Williams|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Consider it a coffee table book for edgy rock fans who bliss out on something stronger than coffee.
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers|Ted Gioia|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After she put up a fight, she claims that Cosby left two $100 bills on her coffee table and exited her apartment.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004|Marlow Stern|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She set the bottles on the kitchen counter and sat in the overstuffed recliner across the coffee table from him.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Copies of a 53-page strategic plan are on the coffee table in her office for visitors to peruse.
Obama’s Hidden Power Player|Eleanor Clift|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lorraine enters the room and puts a frozen cocktail on the coffee table.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he got there, we had arranged ourselves in the living room with the note between us on the coffee table.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
And Isaacson drew from his pocket the letter Mrs. Armine had sent by the felucca, and laid it on the coffee-table.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
He let himself into his apartment, switched on the light and dove underneath the coffee table.
Death Makes A Mistake|P.F. Costello
During this conversation Johann Leopold had approached Johanna at her coffee-table.
A Noble Name|Claire Von Glmer
Even today, the German family's reunion takes place around the coffee table on Sunday afternoons.
All About Coffee|William H. Ukers

British Dictionary definitions for coffee table

coffee table

noun

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

(modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substancecoffee-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