coffee-table book

American

[kaw-fee tey-buhl, kof-ee-] / ˈkɔ fi ˌteɪ bəl, ˈkɒf i- /

noun

an oversize, expensive, and usually illustrated book suitable for displaying, as on a coffee table.

coffee-table book British

noun

a book designed to be looked at rather than read

"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

Etymology

Origin of coffee-table book

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

This coffee-table book takes Louis Vuitton superfans on a non-chronological trip through the archives, collaborations, window displays, movie moments and fashion designers in its monogrammed universe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

We made a new calendar for 2025 and have plans for what could be our magnum opus: a coffee-table book.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2025

Mr Msimang’s house is furnished with tributes to the ANC’s iconic former leader – a life-size painting of Nelson Mandela, a coffee-table book bearing his name.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2024

A documentary, a coffee-table book, an international tour and an opera partnership will be some of the many homages to the Martha Graham Dance Company as it celebrates its 100th anniversary, starting this fall.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2023

She gets up late, paints her nails, lies in the sun, and stares at pictures of African landscapes in a big coffee-table book.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023